FALL HARVEST
GUIDE
Autumn farmer's markets are brimming with fresh produce – and
now is the time to take advantage of all that delicious bounty.
Read on to discover our favorite fall fruits and vegetables, plus
tips for selecting, storing and cooking.
Pumpkin
Choose pumpkins that feel solid and heavy
for their size. The skin should be hard, with
no cracks, blemishes or soft spots. For
cooking, seek out small, sweet varieties
with a thick flesh and a fairly small seed
cavity, such as the Sugar Pie, Baby Bear or
Cheese pumpkin. Field pumpkins have a
fibrous flesh that is not good for cooking.
Reserve them for jack-o'-lanterns.
RECIPES
COOKING ESSENTIALS
Apples
Apples should have unbroken skin with good
color and no soft brown spots. Whenever
possible, buy newly harvested local apples.
Because they continue to ripen at room
temperature, refrigerate them in the coldest
part of your refrigerator if you are storing
them for a week or more. If you plan to eat
them soon after purchase, they can be held
at room temperature for a few days.
COOKING ESSENTIALS
Figs
Choose figs that are soft to the touch
but not wrinkled, mushy or bruised.
Look for plump figs with firm stems and
good color free of gray or tan spots.
Figs with a webbing of delicate fissures,
stretch marks revealing particularly
moist and sweet fruit, are highly prized.
A sour smell indicates an overripe fig
that has begun to ferment.
RECIPES
COOKING ESSENTIALS
Mushroom
Fresh mushrooms should be firm and
have smooth, unblemished caps. Avoid
any that are broken, limp, wrinkled,
soggy or moldy. Stems with gray, dried
ends indicate that the mushrooms have
been stored too long. As mushrooms
age, they dry out, so the heaviest
mushrooms should be the freshest.
RECIPES
Potatoes
Potatoes come in two main varieties:
starchy, which become light and fluffy
when cooked, and waxy, which are
ideal for roasting or boiling for potato
salads. Choose firm specimens that are
not blemished, wrinkled, tinged with
green or cracked. The buds, commonly
called eyes, of the potatoes should not
have sprouted.
RECIPES
COOKING ESSENTIALS
Sweet Potatoes
Sweet potatoes are available
year-round, but their true seasons
are fall and winter. Choose firm,
unblemished sweet potatoes without
any breaks in their thin skin. Sweet
potatoes do not keep well. Store them
in a cool, dark place, but plan to use
them within a week or so.
COOKING ESSENTIALS
Winter Squash
Some winter squash varieties are
available year-round, but the widest
selection is found during fall and
winter. Squashes should be firm and
unblemished and feel heavy for their
size. Cut winter squashes may be kept
in the refrigerator for up to 1 week;
whole winter squashes may be kept
for months in a cool, dark place.
RECIPES
