Now that the days are getting shorter and colder, it is time to shift the ingredients used in Jenn’s Cook Book to Fall. There is still plenty of fresh produce available, but these fruits and vegetables will be a bit heartier than the light tastes of summer. Recipes containing fresh, seasonal produce for Fall will now be in the new category Autumnal Delights. Like the Farmer’s Market category, this will include main dishes, sides, desserts or beverages made with Autumn’s most abundant produce. Below, I have compiled a list of some of Fall’s most popular items (with help from Real Simple magazine, Simply in Season, and Everyday Food).
Apples: varieties include Honey Crisp and Red Delicious, which are great eating out of hand, and MacIntosh, Golden Delicious, and Granny Smith, which are slightly tart and great for baking. Although apples are usually available year-round, Michigan might as well be called Apple Country in the Fall. Look for apples in soups, baked desserts, and roasted with root vegetables or tenderloin.
Cabbage: available in red or green in the fall, and great for salads, soups, and slaws.
Carrots: another item usually available year-round that gets a spotlight in Autumn. Carrots are great in roasts, in soups, and in salads.
Cauliflower: look for bright white cauliflower, or new golden yellow or purple varieties as well. Both cauliflower and it’s green cousin broccoli flourish in the Autumn months. Try these crunchy veggies raw, roasted, or steamed.
Grapes: look for red, green, globe, concord and more (seedless or not). I love grapes, but I do not believe they are in any recipe on the website (unless you count raisins). Like apples, Michigan has tons of great grape varieties, especially with all of the lake-shore vineyards. I may try out grapes in some baked desserts.
Leeks: another item not yet found on Jenn’s Cook Book. Look for leeks possibly in soups or mixed with root vegetables for the Fall.
Mushrooms: really, always available but considered an Autumn item. Mushrooms are probably one of my favorite things to throw into a recipe, so there is a wide variety of recipes to come!
Parsnips: a root vegetable that looks like a pale carrot. Again, there are no recipes yet on the website to go with this Fall vegetable, but I definitely have plans for the parsnip.
Pears: Fall favorite, look for Anjou, Bartlett, or Bosc varieties, which hold there shape well when cooking. Pears need time to ripe, so purchase a few days before using. Pears are great for Autumn desserts, as well as tossed with roasted vegetables and pureed in soups. They are also delicious to eat out of hand, like apples.
Persimmons: a fruit I am not familiar with, but will be available in the Fall. This may or may not make it into some recipes.
Pomegranates: already featured on the website in juice form, fresh pomegranates will be available through winter (a great holiday fruit).
Sweet Potatoes: sometimes labeled yams by mistake, these orange potatoes are great broiled, baked, or roasted. This is one vegetable that can be used in both sweet and savory applications.
Winter Squash: includes Acorn, Butternut, Buttercup, and Pumpkins. Winter squash have tough skins, unlike summer squash like zucchini and yellow squash that have edible skins, and take much longer to cook. Varieties like butternut or pumpkin can be used in sweet dishes as well as savory. Look for cooking methods that take little preparation but longer time, like baking, roasting, simmering, or steaming. Also unlike summer squash, winter squash have seeds that should be removed before cooking.
Seasonal Flavors: with heartier produce comes heartier herbs for Autumn, such as bay leaf, coriander, rosemary, sage, savory, and thyme. Also look for strong spices like cinnamon, cloves, curry, ginger, nutmeg, paprika, and turmeric. Other seasonal flavors include caramel, fennel, hazelnut, and pecan. Also look for chick peas, lentils, and red onions.
