Le Cercle de l'Ombelle · Moon 10 out of 12

October — Fruits and roots

Autumn · 19 references pickeds this moon · the gathering after the frosts

First movement

The harvest

The essentials at a glance

Fruits and roots · Autumn

19 references pickeds this moon, of which 0 contain caffeine.

The gathering after the frosts.

October is the moon of the turn towards the earth. The last apples are gathered, the pumpkin reaches full ripeness, the hibiscus yields its fleshy late-summer calyces, and the rosehip, the red fruit of the dog rose, awaits the first frosts that soften it and concentrate its sugars. It is the moon when we leave the tree to bend towards the ground, when red and orange replace the green of summer. Hibiscus is picked not for its petals but for its calyces, which will give their vivid colour and frank acidity; for the rosehip, we wait until the cold has done its work. October is a moon of patience and of turning: it closes the great movement of the fruit harvest and opens the more subterranean one of winter roots. The last truly generous moon before the herbarium shrinks, in November and then December, to what the earth keeps in reserve.

After the harvest moon comes the hunter's moon, lighting a world busy laying in its stores: squirrels, jays and dormice gather in, and the hedgerows are emptied of their fruit. Rosehips and aronia berries, for their part, await the first cold spells; the cold softens their flesh and mellows their tartness. Tradition even says to wait for the frost before picking: autumn ripens what summer left unfinished.

Second movement

The moon lesson

This moon harvests 3 plants ; here are their botanical profiles and their rituals.

Hibiscus

Hibiscus sabdariffa · Malvaceae

The hibiscus used for infusion, known as roselle or karkadé, is a tropical member of the Malvaceae grown in Africa, Egypt and as far as Asia, a cousin of mallow and cotton. It is not its petals but its calyces that are harvested: the fleshy part enveloping the faded flower, picked at the end of summer once it has swollen and reddened. These thick, dark red calyces are dried and then infused. They give the cup a spectacular colour, a deep garnet red, and a frank acidity, almost that of redcurrant, a liveliness that gives the blend all its character. The national drink of Egypt, karkadé is drunk there hot in winter and iced in summer. It is the ingredient that gives countless fruit infusions their brilliant colour, as much for the eye as for the palate.

Pumpkin

Cucurbita · Cucurbitaceae

The pumpkin belongs to the vast genus of squashes, in the Cucurbitaceae family, which also includes the winter squash and the courgette. Native to the Americas and cultivated for millennia by pre-Columbian peoples, it was brought back to Europe after the great explorations. It is harvested at full ripeness in autumn, when its skin has hardened and its flesh has taken on its deep orange colour. For infusion, this flesh is cut and dried: it then brings a rounded sweetness and a warm colour that work wonders in late-season blends. A symbol of the autumn harvest and the festivities of late October, it evokes the season of fallen leaves and cooling evenings. In infusion, it gives a velvety, slightly sweet note that pairs with the warm spices of winter, cinnamon and ginger first among them.

Aronia

Aronia melanocarpa · Rosaceae

Aronia is a shrub from North America that found its way into European orchards for its black, astringent berries, cousins of our rowan berries. They are harvested in September and October, when they are matt and heavy, after the first cool spells that soften them. Too tart to be eaten fresh, once dried they give a tangy depth and a dense colour that hold the cup together. It is one of the berries that give structure to this moon's Insouciance Fenouil Citronnelle.

Photo: Ryan Hodnett, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

Third movement

Tasting at home

The Moon Basket of October

Hibiscus

Fleurs d'Hibiscus Karkadé Bio

100°C · 5-10 min · 13-18 g/L

Hibiscus, served here as whole flowers from organic farming, is the plant behind Egyptian karkadé and West African bissap. Dry, the crumpled calyces give off a scent of candied red berries; the infusion releases a deep red liquor, almost garnet, of remarkable clarity. On the palate, the frank tartness recalls redcurrant and cranberry, carried by a lovely thirst-quenching freshness. Naturally caffeine-free, this flower is enjoyed hot or iced, plain or barely sweetened, at any time of day.