Fall (or Autumn), also known as the Fall Equinox, begins September 22 or 23, depending on the year. Although the starting dates for the Fall season change, Fall is always back to school, football, and lots of holidays. The Summer heat mellows into crisp, cool air.
Do you know what’s in-season during Fall? One hint lies in the abundance of pumpkins and cranberries. Pumpkin spice is everywhere. Some people hate it, but for me it truly indicates Fall. Cranberries? Not only were they popular in the 90’s, but think about most Thanksgiving tables and the abundance of the red berries adding some life to the drab white turkey. Delish!
Nuts are in-season during Fall. Stockpile those babies. Pine nuts appear on at least three corners of my neighborhood every Fall and I buy them. The best place to store them to ensure freshness? The freezer. Nuts store well anyway, and can be kept for quite some time, but they are amazing in as-close-to-the-fresh stage as you can get them.
Butternut squash and other squash is best this time of year. I truly love the light, melt-in-your-mouth taste of buttery butternut squash. I love to roast it. My sister has a ravioli, butternut squash soup recipe that will knock your socks off! I’ll post it here for all to enjoy.
Did you miss eating meat during the summer? If you did, as the days get shorter, and colder, now is the time to add some back to the diet. Chicken, turkey, steak; we can eat it all. Still, sparingly, but hey…something to add some excitement and warm our bodies.
Fruits and Vegetables in Season (North America):
- Apple – Apples can be eaten as a snack, are great cooked with dried fruits, used in cakes and pies or in relishes and chutney. They work well in salads too.
- Look for firm, unblemished fruit with smooth skin and a good color. For long-term storage, keep apples in cool conditions, separated from other fruit and vegetables. Apples give off ethylene gas, which can turn root vegetables bitter; apples will also absorb the flavor of onions.
- Wash apples just before eating. Eat them whole or chop, slice, or dice for salads and fruit salads. The flesh will discolor quickly when cut so brush well with citrus juice.
- Arugula – A salad green with notched leaves and a peppery flavor.
- Never choose anything that looks wilted or bruised. Remove tight plastic packaging as soon as possible and keep salad greens in the refrigerator. Eat them on the day of purchase or within a day or so. If they come in a bag, use them within 1-2 days of opening.
- All salad greens are fragile and need handling with care. Wash and pat dry. Use a salad spinner if you have one; alternatively, heap the greens into a clean dish towel, gather up the corners, and swing around – preferably outside. Tearing greens, rather than chopping, is said to cause less cell damage and therefore preserve more nutrients and also keeps the salad crisper. Only dress salad just before serving.
- Avocado – A fruit, rather than a vegetable, avocado is pear shaped with knobby or smooth skin, depending on the variety. Organic varieties are also available. Avocado is one of the few fruit vegetables with a high fat content, most of which is monounsaturated.
- A ripe avocado will yield gently when pressed. It can be bought unripe and will ripen at home – to speed up the ripening process, place in paper bag for a day or so. Use avocados when ripe; do not refrigerate them or they will go black. Once cut, the flesh discolors so eat right away or sprinkle the cut surfaces with lemon juice.
- Cut lengthwise around an avocado down to the large pit. Ease the two halves apart and then remove the pit using the tip of a sharp knife.
- Banana – Once considered exotic, bananas are now commonplace. They are usually eaten raw but are also good baked in their skins or grilled. They make a nutritious drink or meal when blended with milk, coconut milk, or bean curd. Use citrus juice to prevent them from going brown. Don’t throw out overripe bananas – they make great bread or cake.
- Bananas do not travel well and are therefore picked unripe and then ripened later or during transit. Choose those with a green to yellow skin and do not pack them at the bottom of your shopping cart because they bruise easily. At home, store them on a hook.
- Peel and eat raw, or bake with butter and honey, or bake in their skins. Great in smoothies.
- Beans – Each country has its favorite varieties of beans, known variously as green, French, string, runner, bobby, Italian, and wax. Some are thin as a shoelace, others finger-thick and about as long. Fresh beans are a good way to add color to stew or casserole. The go well with Mediterranean vegetables, such as tomatoes, olives, and bell peppers; they are also great partnered with garlicky Middle Eastern dishes. When served as a side vegetable, beans should be tender yet crisp. They also work well in marinades based on olive oil.
- Beans should have a good color and all but the youngest and smallest varieties should snap in half easily if they are fresh. Keep beans in the refrigerator for 4-5 days.
- Chunky, short beans and very fine beans need trimming. Cut beans thinly either diagonally across the pod or lengthwise. Once prepared, steam, boil, microwave, or stir-fry.
- Beet – Beet is cultivated for both the root and its greens. The roots can vary in color from red and gold to white, although the flavor is roughly the same. The main difference is that golden beet doesn’t bleed in the way that red beet does. The flavor of beet is sweet and earthly. It is great with onion or citrus flavors, as well as with sour cream, tangy goat cheese, and hot condiments, such as mustard and horseradish.
- Choose firm, smooth bulbs with the leaves attached. Separate the leaves before storing. Keep beet in a ventilated plastic bag in the refrigerator for some weeks.
- Red beet will stain everything crimson, so consider carefully what you wear, where you prepare them, and what other ingredients you mix them with. Beet is easier to peel once it has been cooked. Scrub the roots then boil for 35-40 minutes, or until tender. Remove the skins with a sharp knife when the beet is cool enough to handle. Beet is good roasted or baked. It can be eaten raw is is then best grated or cut into thin slivers.
- Bell Pepper – Bell peppers are related to the chile family, but have a mild rather than hot flavor and they sweeten as they ripen. They are marvelous vegetables, adding plenty of color to all manner of dishes. They can be eaten raw or cooked in a variety of ways and are ideal for stuffing. Bell peppers come in a dazzling array of colors, the most familiar being red and green but increasingly orange, yellow, and even white and purple are on sale. These are all similar, but warmer colors indicate riper specimens, thus yellow is the sweetest of all while the green bell pepper has a fresh, almost grassy flavor. Look, too, for baby bell peppers, which can be used whole in a dish of marinated vegetables or stuffed for cocktail snacks. Red and yellow bell peppers are very good sources of carotenes and vitamin C.
- Choose bright, firm specimens with smooth skins, which should not be wrinkled or soft. It doesn’t matter if the red ones have a touch of green, or vice versa, since this is part of the ripening process. Bell peppers don’t have to have a regular appearance, unless you are intending to stuff them. Store them in the refrigerator and the will last for up to one week.
- The easiest way to prepare bell peppers is to cut a slice off the top, thus removing the stalk and part of the core. Then cut a small slice off the base. This leaves you with a neat, open-ended box. Remove the core, seeds, and membranes. Slice the bell pepper in half, then hold with the inside of the bell pepper uppermost, since this part is less slippery, and cut the flesh into long strips or dice. To stuff a bell pepper, slice off the top and pull out the core. Shake out any remaining seeds, and then cut out the white membranes.
- Bell peppers are fine to eat raw and can also be cooked in casseroles or stir-fries without being skinned.
- Broccoli – Good partnered with dairy products. Works well in souffle; roulades; stir-fries combined with bell pepper and mushroom; pasta when mixed in sauces; or simply steamed and served on the side.
- Should have firm, compact buds or flowers, which should be dark green or dark purple, depending on the variety. Do not buy or use any that show signs of yellowing. Keep in the refrigerator and use within a couple of days.
- Pull off any coarse leaves and trim tough stems, peeling the skin back to the branches. Chop into flowerets. Steam, microwave or boil and be aware that the flower heads can break up if overcooked. If serving in salad, chill rapidly under cold running water.
- Brussels Sprout – These look like miniature cabbages but, unlike so many baby vegetables, they don’t really seem to have caught on in the cooking scene other than as an accompaniment. They are much too strongly flavored to eat raw. Brussels sprouts are delicious lightly cooked, tossed in butter, and served with roasted almonds, whole or sliced; they also work well with chestnuts.
- Choose small ones, smaller than the size of a whole walnut, because they will be sweeter and nuttier. Keep loosely wrapped in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
- Trim off outer leaves and woody stalk ends. Cutting a small cross in the stem helps them cook more quickly. It is best to leave them whole since they have more texture and are less likely to go soggy. Steam, boil, microwave, or saute. Once cooked, brussels sprouts should be eaten immediately or they come to resemble overcooked cabbage.
- Cabbage – Good in salads and forms the basis of traditional coleslaw. Can be coated with yogurt or creme fraiche, or mixed with grated raw celery root, apple, dried fruits, or fresh herbs.
- Select firm heads that feel heavy for their size; the outer leaves should look fresh. Cabbage should keep up to one week in the refrigerator, loosely wrapped in plastic.
- To shred cabbage by hand or in a food processor, cut into fourths first and then remove the inner core if it looks woody. Cut each fourth into fine shreds using a large knife, or chop it into chunks to fit the feeder tube of a food processor and shred using the slicing blade. Finely shredded cabbage makes a crunchy addition to stir-fries, or can be sauteed. Whole leaves can be blanched and stuffed with a filling suitable for grape leaf.
- Carrot – A highly nutritious vegetable, carrots are also a great cooking mainstay, delicious both raw and cooked. Carrots can be teamed with a variety of flavors – from the mildest dairy products to spicy Indian or Asian flavorings.
- Carrots should be crisp with a smooth surface. Avoid any that are limp or have damaged skin. Keep them in a cool airy place for about one week.
- Peel carrots thinly to remove any chemicals, but if they are organically grown, this is not necessary. Cut off tops and root ends and slice, dice, or cut into strips. Boil, steam, microwave, roast, or stir-fry.
- Cauliflower – There are many varieties other than the standard white, ranging in color from pale green to near purple. These can be prepared and cooked in the same way. Classically, paired with dairy products, particularly cheese and cream sauces. Small pieces can be good in a chunky salad, raw, or grilled.
- Try to choose cauliflower with plenty of outer leaves because this protects the center flower or “curd.” Look for tight heads, which are unpitted with no brown spots. Opened-out curds are a sign that the cauliflower is old or has been exposed to the sun. Avoid outer leaves that look wilted or yellowing. Cut stalks should look moist. Keep in the refrigerator and use within a few days.
- Chop cauliflower into flowerets, leaving on a little of the stem. If cooking a cauliflower whole, cut a cross through the base of the stem to help the heat penetrate. Remember, the stems taste just as good as the flowers, with a nutty, almost sweet flavor. Slice stems thinly or they will take longer to cook than the flowerets. Steam, boil, or saute, remembering that overcooked cauliflower goes soggy and smells unpleasant.
- Celery – Not generally served solo, except for crudites, celery is usually used to flavor soups and casseroles. It is also good as a crunchy addition to salads and stir-fries.
- Choose crisp, unblemished stalks with leafy tops. Refrigerate for up to one week.
- Separate stalks and rinse thoroughly. Trim as necessary and pull away the course outer “strings.” Slice or dice to serve raw in salads, stir-fry, broil, or saute.
- Coconut – While fresh coconut is fun and a treat to eat, ready-prepared block coconut and coconut milk are more useful cooking ingredients. These add an authentic flavor to Asian and Indian dishes. Coconut milk provides a velvety, creamy texture and is especially useful for those who do not want to eat dairy products.
- Choose a coconut that feels heavy and full. Examine the eyes of the coconut for wetness and mold.
- Drain the water from the coconut (if you want to). Hit with a hammer. Take the meat off the shell with a knife. If you have a few minutes, and want to watch a ninja open a coconut, click here.
- Cranberry – Cranberries are deep red, round fruit. They can be used to make sauces and relishes, which go well with savory dishes, such as nut roasts or root vegetables. They can also be mixed with other soft fruit to make sweet purees suitable for dessert. Commercially produced cranberry juice is tasty and widely available. Cranberries are thought to help prevent or treat urinary tract infections and cystitis.
- Pick firm berries, hard enough to bounce off a counter. They should keep well in cool dry conditions.
- Place the cranberries in a little water or orange juice in a saucepan, cover, and cook until the berries have popped – this takes 3-4 minutes. Sweeten to taste. The sauce can be served with savory dishes, or used for pie and pastry fillings.
- Date – Fresh dates can be eaten as they are, or pitted and stuffed with sweet or savory fillings. Served like this they make tasty finger food.
- Keep in the refrigerator. Fresh dates also freeze well.
- To remove the papery skin, pinch off the stalk end and then squeeze from the opposite end. To remove the pit, halve the date or pull the pit out from the stalk end.
- Fig – There are many varieties of fig, ranging in color from cream and yellow to deep purple and black. Not all varieties are available in every country. Unless you can get local or almost local or almost local types, dried figs may be a better option.
- A ripe fig should be unbruised and just soft when pressed. Although the skin may look tough, it is edible. The inner flesh is pinkish-brown and full of edible seeds. Store figs in the refrigerator.
- Wash before eating. Leave whole, or cut in half and macerate in fruit syrup, or bake or stew.
- Garlic – Small but pungent ingredient used to flavor a diverse range of foods. Garlic has been credited with lowering blood cholesterol levels and warding off colds. However, in order to get any benefit from garlic, it needs to be eaten regularly and in large amounts.
- Look for firm heads of garlic with no slashes or slits. Garlic should last for several weeks in a cool airy place – don’t keep it in a steamy kitchen.
- The traditional method to use garlic, is to chop the garlic and then crush it with the blade of a knife, adding a little salt to prevent the knife from slipping. Alternatively, use a sturdy garlic press. Be careful not to burn or scorch garlic when cooking or it will become bitter. It is best to add garlic once there is another ingredient, such as onion, already cooking in the pan.
- Roasted garlic is a wonderful way of adding a very subtle flavor to recipes, especially to raw salad dressing and dips where uncooked garlic may be too strong. Roast plump, firm unpeeled cloves in a preheated oven, 400 degrees F (200 degrees C), for 5 minutes. Let cool, then peel, mash, and use as required.
- Grape – Grapes range in color from pale green to deep red. Seeded grapes contain small bitter seeds; there are also many varieties of seedless grapes, widely available.
- Look for plump specimens. Once grapes are ripe they do not last long. You can store them in the refrigerator but allow time for them to come to room temperature before eating.
- Wash grapes just before eating. Eat them raw whole, or halve or chop them into sweet and savory salads.
- Kale – Kale can be eaten raw or cooked and can be used interchangeably with other greens.
- Remove the course center stems and salt to prepare for eating.
- Delicious in smoothies.
- Lettuce – A salad green that comes in various varieties.
- Never choose anything that looks wilted or bruised. Remove tight plastic packaging as soon as possible and keep salad greens in the refrigerator. Eat them on the day of purchase or within a day or so. If they come in a bag, use them within 1-2 days of opening.
- All salad greens are fragile and need handling with care. Wash and pat dry. Use a salad spinner if you have one; alternatively, heap the greens into a clean dish towel, gather up the corners, and swing around – preferably outside. Tearing greens, rather than chopping, is said to cause less cell damage and therefore preserve more nutrients and also keeps the salad crisper. Only dress salad just before serving.
- Lime – This fragrant citrus fruit has a distinctive tang. Use the juice and zest to flavor salad dressings and sauces. It goes well with other fruit, especially papaya, and is often used in cheesecakes and sherbets.
- Look for dark green fruit, shaped like a lemon, but generally smaller. As it ripens a lime may turn more yellow in color. Buy firm specimens and store in the refrigerator for up to one week. Once cut, use as soon as possible.
- Mushroom – The range of edible fungi available seems to be ever increasing. Fresh mushrooms can either be cultivated or wild and come in an array of shapes, sizes, and flavors. Many species are harvested wild. Mushrooms are not only delicious in their own right but they are also marvelous at adding a wealth of subtle flavors as well as depth of texture to many dishes as diverse as stir-fry, risotto, casserole, or salads.
- When buying rather than picking fresh mushrooms, look for firm and fresh-looking specimens. Avoid any that are beginning to brown in patches or those with a moist outer skin. Some mushrooms smell strongly but it should be a pleasant smell rather than an odor. On cultivated mushrooms, pale gills are an indicator of freshness. Store fresh mushrooms in a paper bag in the refrigerator. Do not keep them in plastic because they will sweat and quickly become pungent. Fresh wild mushrooms deteriorate quickly so use them as soon as possible.
- Cultivated mushrooms need only be wiped. Even if they appear dirty, do not be tempted to wash them because the mushrooms will act like a sponge, absorbing water and becoming soggy. Trim the edges with a knife if necessary. Fresh wild varieties do need to be thoroughly checked for earthly particles. Gently brush off the dirt and cut away any woody ends.
- Parsnip – A long white root, the parsnip is similar in shape to a carrot but with creamy-white flesh and a strong, sweet flavor. Parsnips are not edible raw but can be cooked in a number of ways. They go well with a variety of herbs and spices, as well as flavorings such as orange and lemon. Once cooked, parsnip purees easily, making it highly suitable for soup making.
- It is best to choose small smooth specimens with firm flesh; large parsnips tend to be woody in texture. Store in a cool dry place for about one week.
- Scrub and peel parsnips thinly. Trim tops and root ends and slice or chop into lengths. Boil, steam, saute, or roast.
- Pear – Delicious poached or stewed for pie filling and served with plain yogurt or cream. They work well with other fruits in fruit salads and also combine with savory ingredients, such as blue cheese, peppery salad greens, and avocado.
- Pears are best bought unripe since they do bruise very easily. Once ripe, however, they may last only a day or so before developing an unpleasant woolly character. If you need to ripen pears in a hurry, put them in a paper bag with apples and leave them to ripen at room temperature.
- Eat pears raw, washed and unpeeled. Alternatively, dice and stew, broil, or poach them whole. The flesh will discolor quickly when cut so brush with citrus juice immediately if preparing for a salad.
- Pineapple – One of the best-established tropical fruits, pineapple goes well with other fruit, as well as with savory ingredients in salads, or in stir-fries.
- Pineapples do not continue to ripen once picked, so select carefully. A ripe pineapple should yield to gentle pressure applied at the stem. It should be more golden than green, have a good, full scent, and leaves that can be pulled off without much struggle.
- Cut off the leafy plume and remove the base so that the pineapple will stand upright. Then cut down through the fruit to remove the skin but not too much of the flesh. Remove the “eyes” with the point of a small knife. Serve pineapple in slices, cubes, or fourths, removing any woody core. It is good broiled or grilled. Scared to cut a pineapple? Don’t be. Watch this easy, short video to help quell your fears!
- Pomegranate – This tough, leathery, red-skinned fruit, the size of an apple, contains tightly packed seeds and enclosed in a perfumed ruby flesh. The pith and membrane or bitter and should not be eaten.
- Look for firm fruit and store for up to a week in the refrigerator.
- Cut through the skin to mark out four segments. Using a sharp knife, cut around the raised end so that you can lift out the hard “button” or tuft. After peeling back the skin in sections, you can separate out the pomegranate without breaking the seeds. To extract the juice, roll the fruit over a counter, then make a hole in the skin and squeeze out the juice.
- Potato – One of the world’s most widely grown vegetable. Potatoes fall into two categories – waxy or mealy – although some all-purpose varieties are midway between the two. Waxy potatoes have a high moisture and low starch content, and are better for sauteing, boiling, and salads. New potatoes have a waxy character. Mealy potatoes have more starch and a lighter texture and are good for baking and mashing.
- Potatoes belong to the nightshade family, a group of plants in which all, apart from the tubers, are poisonous. Exposure to light and sprouting, can cause a concentration of poisons – visible as a green hue, so it is vital not to buy or eat green potatoes or sprouting potatoes. A small patch of green can be cut away but discard any with a heavy green tinge. Do not store potatoes sealed in plastic since this will create condensation and the moisture will cause them to spoil. Stored in a dry, dark place with good ventilation, potatoes will keep for at least two weeks, maybe longer. Don’t store them with onions.
- Scrub well to remove most of the pesticides or peel thinly. Potatoes can lose up to 25% of their protein if peeled too coarsely and much of their vitamin C content is close to the skin. Boil, roast, or bake whole.
- Pumpkin (and other winter squash) – Don’t be putt off by craggy skin or monstrous-sized specimens because they will still be delicious. Winter squashes add good color to soups and casseroles. The puree can be used for stuffing vegetables or pasta, as well as for flavoring risotto. Winter squashes go well with cheese, fiery spices, such as chile or ginger, and pungent herbs and garlic.
- Avoid any with damaged skin or definite blemishes. Winter squashes can be stored with whole for months in a cool, dry place with plenty of ventilation and away from frost. Once cut, use quickly or wrap and keep in the refrigerator for a few days only.
- Some varieties, such as butternut squash, have very thin skin, which can be left unpeeled in casseroles and soup, but thicker-skinned varieties will need peeling, which is hard work. Chopping large ones into pieces can also be tricky. Use a good, large sharp knife or cleaver and don’t try to cut through the stem for a perfect half. Roasted or baked halves or segments are easier to peel once cooked. This is useful to know, especially if you are making a puree. Bake winter squash whole and unpeeled, or peel and cut into cubes, then boil, steam, or bake.
- Radish – Radishes have crimson red or white roots, which are either finger thick or like small globes. Characterized by a hot, peppery flavor and crisp texture, they make a perky addition to salads. They are also great eaten sliced and salted on lightly buttered bread.
- Radishes should look “snappy” in appearance. Refrigerate, loosely wrapped, for up to one week.
- Raspberry – The raspberry is a fragile, soft fruit containing many tiny seeds. They can be served plainly or with sugar, cream, or yogurt for a simple dessert. If the fruit is damaged or beyond its best, puree with some sweetening and blend with cream or ice cream.
- Look for firm berries and watch out for seeping juices at the bottom of the carton. Eat raspberries as quickly as possible. If necessary, they can be stored overnight in the refrigerator. Frozen raspberries are a good buy if you are intending to puree the fruit.
- Avoid washing raspberries or they will turn to a mush. Pick over to remove any stalks.
- Spinach – Baby spinach is great in salads. It contains iron, although it is a type that is not easily absorbed.
- When buying spinach, look for richly colored, dark leaves without traces of yellowing or slime. Keep in the refrigerator and eat within two days.
- Rinse in several changes of water and pat dry; shred larger leaves. Steam or stir-fry. Expect the finished amount to be half of what you started with.
- Sweet Potato – Sweet potatoes have light brown, orange, or purple skins and bright orange flesh. Their sweetness makes them less versatile than ordinary potatoes, but this quality can be used to advantage when making root vegetable purees, or when adding them to casseroles and roasting. Sweet potatoes team well with a variety of spices and herbs. They are not related to the ordinary potato or the yam but are often interchangeable with the latter.
- Check for rotten or soft spots. Store in a cool, dry, dark place and eat within one week.
- Scrub and bake whole, or peel and slice thinly for baking as “chips,” or cut into chunks for casseroles. Sweet potatoes can also be boiled and mashed.
- Turnip – The best turnips are no bigger than a golf ball with a greenish white or purple skin. They have a slightly peppery flavor, which works well with dairy products, as well as with pungent herbs, such as thyme or tarragon.
- Look for small smooth-skinned roots with creamy flesh. Avoid shriveled or cracked roots. Turnips will keep for up to two weeks in the refrigerator.
- Small young specimens do not need peeling – simply scrub them under running water. They can be added to casseroles, mashed with other root vegetables, steamed, sauteed, or stir-fried.