Here’s a secret about me: I love to eat. Not only do I love to eat, I also love everything food related – cooking, food shows, food websites, gardening, farmers’ markets…. You get the picture. When we first moved to NH from NYC, I was excited about a bigger kitchen and easier access to local produce. It sounds lame, but I get a huge amount of happiness from stopping by a roadside farmstand and bringing fresh fruits and veggies home for dinner. I remember the first time my family went berry picking and I tasted the difference between local strawberries and ones that had been shipped half way around the world. Not only does it taste better but it’s better for the Earth and your community. We have little kids and are not perfect, so we therefore also buy bananas, avocados and other items that don’t grow in NH or anywhere close to it. But we also try to eat as thoughtfully as possible.
Now that it’s Fall, we’ve said goodbye to a lot of our summertime favorites (cherry tomatoes, peaches, cucs…) and hello to larger root vegetables, leafy greens and anything the farmers can keep going via their greenhouses. Here are some of my favorites:
Can you see the baking stains? Been making this recipe for a long time!
Apples! Ross and I have been visiting the Berkshires for over a decade. I’ve therefore had this recipe for about that long, too. I didn’t grow-up doing a lot of cooking and baking (something I’m so intent on teaching my girls), so have learned a lot of techniques along the way. Mastering pie-dough was a Covid-quarantine accomplishment (hint – use a food processor or similar appliance if you have one). This recipe is actually pretty simple and my girls loved making it with me. Ross loved eating it.
Leeks! Ross doesn’t share this opinion, but I also have a special love of leeks. This potato/leek soup recipe is easy, comforting and tasty, and I’ve been making it for years. You can also play around with it and you don’t need a lot of ingredients on hand. No buttermilk? Make your own. No heavy cream? Just use milk. No chives? Skip it. Will still taste good.
I’m not naturally a “greens” person but bok choy is one leafy vegetable that I will happily eat. Plus, I can get it at my local farmstand!
Peppers, root veggies and leafy greens! My friend Jessica recently gifted me a Moosewood Cookbook for my 40th birthday. It’s been really fun to cook through and explore some new recipes. Potpies are delicious, filling and a good use of any vegetable in your fridge that needs to be eaten. Likewise, stuffed peppers are pretty flexible and you can add whatever you want in them. I used to make a traditional meat and rice stuffing, but have been recently experimenting with quinoa, beans and all types of other vegetarian options.
Everything in this photo was grown within twenty minutes of my home!
Snack plates! A lot of times I’ll just look through the fridge and put together a small plate for myself. It’s a great way to use anything that’s about to go bad (preventing food waste is huge!) and also mix-it-up a bit. I love seasoning my potatoes with some olive oil, salt, pepper and za’atar and roasting in the oven. So easy but so good!
What do you like to eat in the fall? See something missing from this list? Share with us below! – Rachel
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