Acorn Squash

Acorn Squash was actually one of the first hard squash that I fell in love with.  My mother would roast it then smear just a tiny bit of butter, cinnamon, and sugar on it.  Of course now I can eat my acorn squash simply roasted, it’s sweet and delicious.  Acorn squash, similar to butternut, can also be used in meals like risotto and can be stuffed with grains and other vegetables.  Just make sure you have a sturdy knife as sometimes the shell of the acorn squash can be a bit tough.  This squash is one that you normally don’t eat the shell.

Acorn squash comes in white, orange, and green colors.  While some resources suggest acorn squash only last a month in a cool, non-damp, I’ve found when picked fresh, some acorn squash can be kept up to three months.  Don’t store in the refrigerator.  I tend to store my squash in the basement with my canned goods.  If you find yourself with extras, cook, remove shell, chunk, and store in a freezer safe container.

My recipes for Acorn Squash:

Curry-Yogurt Acorn Squash with Cilantro Quinoa

Honey-Jalapeño Roasted Acorn Squash

Roasted Acorn Squash Stuffed Shells

Roasted Corn Pudding in Squash

Wheat Berry and Apple Stuffed Delicata Squash

Apples

I look forward to apples most when fall rolls around.  There is nothing that screams fall more than a trip to the local apple orchard, eating apple doughnuts, and drinking warm apple cider.  Of course, cooking and baking with apples also ranks up there fairly high with a trip to the actual orchard.  There are so many different varieties to try- some that are sweet, some that are tart, all of which are worth trying at least once!

Apples have many ways to be preserved.  Canning ranks high on my list with making apple butter, apple chutney, apple jam (and the list goes on and on.)  Of course, if canning isn’t your thing, apples fresh well- just peel, core, and place in a freezer safe container. Apples also keep well in the crisper draw in the refrigerator.  I’ve found that they last well for a bit over a month for eating and up to three months if you are going to cook with them!  Apples pair perfectly with the winter squash and add a hint of sweetness without adding the extra sugar!

My recipes for Apples:

Apple Pie

Apple, Pear and Gin Cocktail

Apple-Pecan Whole Wheat Scones

Baked “Apple Pie” Oatmeal

Brown Butter Waffles with Honey-Apples and Pecans

Mini Apple Galettes

Rye Pancakes with Apple Topping

Whole Wheat Dutch Baby Pancake with Cinnamon Apples

Canning Recipes:

• Apple Butter from Apt. 2B Baking Co
• Apple Sauce from Food in Jars
• Apple Chutney from Eating Well
• Spicy Apple Salsa from Sugar Craft

Beets

Beets are something that has slowly grown on me since I started with the CSA.  While they can be a pain to peel (and leave redness everywhere), beets hold a delicious earthy flavor that is not to be missed.  My favorite so far has been adding beets to a chocolate cake.  The beets brought out an extra earthiness in the chocolate that made the cake delicious.   Now that I’m learning to like beets, I look forward to trying out new recipes this summer!

There is a way to freeze beets but honestly, I’ve never done it.  Freezing beets is something I am going to work on this summer and hopefully figure out the best way to do it!

My recipes for Beets:

Baked Beet Chips

Beet Gnocchi with Mustard Sauce and Goat Cheese

Chocolate Beet Cake with Ganache Frosting

Grilled Beet and Hummus Stuffed Pita

Maple Roasted Beet and Goat Cheese Salad

Roasted Beet and Carrot Salad

Roasted Beets, Blue Cheese Orzo, & Walnut Salad

Roasted Golden Beet and Millet Spinach Salad with Herb Dressing

Brussels Sprouts

This may seem strange to some, but I really love Brussels Sprouts.  They grow on this funny stalk, taste somewhat like cabbage, and are absolutely delightful when roasted with a little olive oil and salt.  Brussels Sprouts also work well shredded in salads, cooked in gratins, and are the perfect companion for your Thanksgiving meal.

If you find yourself with an abundance of Brussels Sprouts, they freeze well.  Simple blanch for three to five minutes (depending on size), dunk in cold water, and once cool, place in a freezer safe container.  It is advised to cut an “X” in the base since the leaves cook faster than the base.

 My recipes for Brussels Sprouts:

Brussel Sprout, Fig, and Feta Ravioli {video}

Brussel Sprouts with Lemon Pasta

Brussels Sprouts and Egg Skillet

Roasted Brussel Sprout and Millet Gratin

Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Goat Cheese Pizza

Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Lentil Salad

Roasted Winter Vegetable and Millet Salad

Shaved Brussels Sprouts and Soba Noodles with Ginger-Honey Sauce

Butternut squash is one of the quintessential fall foods.  It’s perfectly sweet when roasted, adds flavor and creaminess to soups, and can be used in place of pumpkins in breads and muffins.  The seeds and skin are both edible (the skin is less tough as it cooks longer.)  Fresh butternut squash can also be peeled easily with a good vegetable peeler.  Butternut squash pairs really well with apples, caramelized onions, and goat cheese.

 To tell if a butternut squash is ready, the skin should be tougher and you shouldn’t be able to press in with your fingernail.  Squash should be kept in a cool, dry spot (similar to that of pumpkins and onions.)  The butternut squash can be frozen in different stages.  Roast or blanch peeled butternut squash and freeze in chunks or boil and puree to freeze for use in soups.

My recipes for Butternut Squash:

Basic Veggie Lasagna with Homemade Noodles

Butternut Squash and Balsamic Onion Sandwich

Butternut Squash and Goat Cheese Crostini

Butternut Squash and Lentil Pot Pie

Butternut Squash Casserole (and Thanksgiving Recap)

Butternut Squash Gratin

Butternut Squash Jambalaya (vegan)

Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese

Butternut Squash Ravioli

Butternut Squash Risotto

Butternut Squash, Balsamic Onions, & Ricotta Galette

Butternut Squash, Parmesan, and Pasta

Chipotle Butternut Squash, Black Beans, and Goat Cheese Tostadas

Curried Butternut Squash and Brown Rice Skillet

Honey-Roasted Butternut Squash and Blue Cheese Salad

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

Roasted Butternut Squash, Quinoa, and Jalapeño Chimichurri Tacos

Roasted Winter Vegetable and Millet Salad

Sriracha Marinated Butternut Squash and Black Bean Tacos

Twice Baked Butternut Squash (with quinoa and gorgonzola)

Vegan Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

Carrots

I love all of the orange color that comes with fall.  Carrots have so much potential.  They work perfect with a simple spinach salad, can stuff spring rolls, and even make one delicious soup.  Of course, carrots also work well as a simple snack to keep you going during the day.  Carrots will often loose their crispiness in the refrigerator but if you keep the carrots in a water bath and cut off the tops when you bring the carrots home, this will ensure a little extra crispiness.

Freezing carrots is perfect if you need a little extra veggie to your winter strews or frozen shredded carrots are perfect for carrot cake or muffins.  To freeze carrots, blanch for two minutes, place in a ice bath, let cool and then place in a freezer safe container.  Carrots must be canned using a pressure canner or pickled to where there is a safe amount of acid (since carrots are a low-acid food.)   This dill carrot recipe is a good example of a carrot recipe that can be safely canned in a hot water bath.

My recipes for Carrots:

Carrot-Ginger Brown Rice

Chipotle Carrot, Avocado, and Kamut Salad

Curried Carrot Soup {vegan}

Edamame, Carrot, and Goat Cheese Salad with Cilantro-Lime Dressing

Peanut Noodle and Bean Sprout Salad

Roasted Beet and Carrot Salad

Roasted Winter Vegetable and Millet Salad

Sexy Cabbage (+ Cilantro-Lime Carrot and Cabbage Spring Rolls)

Soy-Glazed Roasted Carrot Spring Rolls

Spiced Carrot Millet Muffins

Veggie Fried Rice

Leeks are the perfect pairing with squash and sweet potatoes.  The mild, onion like flavor doesn’t tend to over power, but instead accompanies each dish with the perfect amount of flavor.  The one main difference between leeks and onions is the layers often hid little crevices of dirt.  Cleaning a leek before you use it is an important step (link below.)  Leeks can last a few weeks in the refrigerator (they like the cold!)

My recipes for Leeks:

Asparagus Risotto

Onion, leek, and parm risotto

Potato, leek, and cheddar soup

Pears

Pears are a relatively new occurrence in my diet.  I grew up on apples and tended to ignore pears.  However, I’ve come to love the slightly sweet, earthy flavor of a freshly ripe pear.  While most of the time I eat them raw, they also make great additions to salads and tarts.  I’m excited this year to make pear jam to last me through the winter (recipe is linked to below!)  Pears come in both many varieties which can be found here.

While you can make pear jam, you can also preserve pears for simply eating throughout the year.

My recipes for Pears:

Apple, Pear and Gin Cocktail

Pear, Walnut, and Gorgonzola Salad

Roasted Pear, Gorgonzola, and Honey Toast

Vanilla Bean Pancakes with Maple Butter Pears

Pumpkins

Growing up, I had no idea that pumpkins were a thing one could eat.  For years I went about carving pumpkins, tossing the seeds, and never thinking twice that any of it was edible.  Of course, as it turns out, pumpkin is one of the great treasures of fall.  Pumpkins you eat are often the small pumpkins (usually like “pie pumpkins”) but the large pumpkins you carve also serve an important purpose: pumpkin seeds! Once you start making your own pumpkin puree, it’s hard to go back to the canned (plus, it’s not too terribly hard of a process to make your own!)

If you get a rather large crop of pumpkins, making puree and freezing it is an excellent way to preserve your pumpkin throughout the winter.  Then you can have pumpkin whenever you need it for pies, breads, and muffins!  Of course, picked fresh pumpkins can also last up to three months as long as it is stored in a cool dry area (like a root cellar or dry basement.)

My recipes for pumpkins:

Basic Veggie Lasagna with Homemade Noodles

Mini Pumpkin Tarts (with homemade pumpkin puree)

Pumpkin “Cinnamon Roll” Scones

Pumpkin Cheesecake

Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins

Pumpkin Hemp Cookies

Pumpkin Hummus

Pumpkin Oat Bread

Pumpkin Pie Millet Porridge

Pumpkin Spice (whole wheat) Doughnuts

Pumpkin Steel Cut Oatmeal

Roasted Pumpkin and Goat Cheese Frittata with Arugula Salad (+ Giveaway)

Roasted Pumpkin and Pecan Pancakes

Roasted Pumpkin and Smoked Blue Cheese Lasagna

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

Whole Wheat Pumpkin Cake (+ Moving)

Sweet Potatoes

Ah sweet potatoes.  I have a bias towards sweet potatoes everything fall/winter.  Sweet potatoes become the focal point of so many meals that by March I feel like I should be orange.  The extra flavor and color beats out regular potatoes any day. Sweet potatoes (for me at least) are one of the versatile fall vegetables.  They can be mashed, cubed, roasted, used in soups, eaten as fries, or used as a main part of the meal.  I think just the shear amount of sweet potato recipes I have on my site is evidence to how much I love this fall treat.

When it comes to telling the difference between yams and sweet potatoes (in the U.S.), there is actually no trick.  Yams sold in grocery stores are actually sweet potatoes with the “yam” label.   True yams are a starchier root vegetable that you can find in international supermarkets (since it is native to Africa.)  If you want to freeze sweet potatoes, simply cook however you like (steam, boil, roast) until almost tender.  Let the sweet potato cool and pack away in a freezer safe container.  I love freezing mashed sweet potatoes for use in soups and roasted sweet potatoes for use in stews!

My recipes for Sweet Potatoes:

Baked Chipotle Sweet Potato Fries

Baked Sweet Potato Falafels

Baked Sweet Potato Potstickers

Basic Veggie Lasagna with Homemade Noodles

Breakfast Tacos with Kale-Cilantro Chimichurri Sauce

Chipotle Black Bean and Sweet Potato Empanada

Chipotle Sweet Potato Skewers with Cilantro Lime Rice

Chipotle Sweet Potato, Black Bean, and Guac Tacos

Chipotle Sweet Potato, Spinach, and Black Bean Tamales

Coconut Curry Red Lentil Soup

Crispy Quinoa and Mole Sweet Potato Tacos

Hummus and Grilled Cheese Sandwich

Peanut Stew with Sweet Potatoes and Spinach

Roasted Garlic Sweet Potatoes with a Poached Egg

Roasted Sweet Potato and Apple Salad

Roasted Sweet Potato and Black Bean Salad

Roasted Sweet Potato, Caramelized Onion, and Gorgonzola Quiche

Roasted Sweet Potato, Spinach, and Grain Salad

Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Farro

Roasted Sweet Potatoes, Gorgonzola, and Baked Eggs

Roasted Winter Vegetable and Millet Salad

Southwest Sweet Potato Skins

Spiced Sweet Potato and Goat Cheese Egg Skillet

Stuffed Curry Sweet Potato

Sweet Potato and Chickpea Stew with Quinoa

Sweet Potato and Feta Pizza

Sweet Potato and Gorgonzola Farro Risotto

Sweet Potato and Quinoa Salad

Sweet Potato and Quinoa Salad with Soft-Boiled Eggs

Sweet Potato and Spinach Burrito

Sweet Potato and Spinach Mac and Cheese

Sweet Potato Biscuits

Sweet Potato Biscuits and Vegetarian Gravy

Sweet Potato Breakfast Taquitos

Sweet Potato Cakes with Curried Tomato Sauce and Poached Egg

Sweet Potato Curry Hummus

Sweet Potato Gnocchi Mac and Blue Cheese

Sweet potato hash

Sweet Potato Soup (and the New Year)

Sweet Potatoes, Wheat Berries, and Eggs

Whole Wheat Sweet Potato Challah

Whole Wheat Sweet Potato Gnocchi

Za’atar Roasted Sweet Potato, Chickpea, and Spinach Salad

{Sweet Chili} Roasted Sweet Potato Spring Rolls

Recipes from around the web:

• Sweet Potato, Curry, and Quinoa from Happyolks
• Rosemary Parmesan Sweet Potato from Cookie and Kate
• Smoky Sweet Potato Soup from This Homemade Life
• Twice-Baked Sweet Potatoes from The Year in Food
• Loaded Sweet Potatoes with Chili Beans from A Couple Cooks
• Mexican Black Beans and Sweet Potatoes from Good Things Grow
• Grilled Sweet Potato and Cherry Salsa from the First Mess
• Sweet Potato Veggie Burger from Love and Lemons
• Rustic Black Bean and Sweet Potato Soup from My New Roots
• Spiced Sweet Potatoes and Chickpeas from Sprouted Kitchen