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Fall Vegetable Recipes

From September to November, the baskets at your local farmers market will brim with hardy greens, root vegetables, Brussels sprouts, and butternut squash.

Savory and deeply nourishing, these hearty fall vegetable recipes make use of all the abundance. Seasonal vegetables are a great way to bring balance to the plate. They can make the perfect side dish for an easy, nourishing family meal.

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What are they?

Fall vegetables are those vegetables that are at their peak during the autumn months, which stretch from mid-September through mid-December.  Fall vegetable season typically peaks in late September and October.

It's this time of year when you can head to any market and find affordable, wholesome root vegetables, leafy greens, and pumpkins in abundance.

These cool-weather crops typically include hardy greens, root vegetables, squashes, and pumpkins.  The fall season offers a huge abundance of fresh vegetables, and they make the healthiest side dishes.

Visit a farmer's market as they're the most likely place to find new varieties.  If you do, you might just find that you have a new favorite fall vegetable.

Common fall vegetables include:

Leafy Greens: Collards, Kale, Mustard Greens, Swiss Chard, Arugula, Bok Choy, Radicchio, Endive, and Escarole

Root Vegetables: Carrots, Parsnips, Red and Golden Beets, Parsley Roots, Celeriac, Daikon Radish, Watermelon Radish, Garlic, Onions, Shallots, Sweet Potatoes, Potatoes, Sunchokes, Turnips, and Salsify

Squashes: Pumpkin, Delicata, Honeynut, Butternut, Red Kuri, Kabocha, and Acorn Squash, among others

Other Vegetables: Celery, Broccoli, Cabbage, Kohlrabi, Brussels Sprouts, Cauliflower, and Romanesco

Tips for Cooking Fall Vegetables

Most fall vegetables lend themselves well to roasting or braising. Roasting magnifies the sweetness of carrots, parsnips, beets, and other root vegetables while also infusing them with delicate, toasty notes of caramel.  Look for easy recipes with minimal extraneous ingredients, as the simplest approach to cooking often yields the best results.

Roasting works well for most fall vegetables, but especially root vegetables, squashes, and many crucifers such as cauliflower, broccoli, and Brussels sprouts.

It's also a delicious way of cooking alliums such as red onion. Just spread them on a sheet pan in a single layer, drizzle with olive oil, and roast in a hot oven until they soften and begin to caramelize.

Braising is another great way to cook most fall vegetables, particularly hardy greens such as Swiss chard and collards. You sauté aromatics in a little olive oil, add the vegetables, and pour in a little liquid such as bone broth or white wine.  They'll soften in no time.

Steaming is one of the best ways to cook broccoli and cauliflower and works well with other fall vegetables, too. They're delicious drizzled with olive oil or melted butter, and steamed baby potatoes are superb when you toss them with a little sour cream and chopped fresh thyme or even parmesan cheese.

Glazing your vegetables in a touch of maple syrup or a drizzle of balsamic vinegar can help bring a little brightness and depth of flavor to earthy root vegetables or bitter greens.

Simmering vegetables in soups and stews is one of the easiest ways to use them up.

Salads can also work well for some fall veggies, such as celery, carrots, or radicchio. Many can be served raw; however, most benefit from a little cooking before being added to salads. Tough, hard vegetables such as beets or Delicata squash are good examples.

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