How to Use 11 Tricky (But Healthy) Fall Farmers' Market Fruits and Vegetables

Arguably fall's favorite (and most prevalent) vegetable, winter squash can be seen on seasonal menus across the country. Whether simply roasted with butter and sage or tossed with ricotta as a ravioli filling, acorn squash (pictured) is versatile and simple to prepare, but has a limited peak from October to December.
Recipe Ideas:
Acorn Squash Stuffed with Rutabaga and Pecans
Baked Acorn Squash with Red Quinoa and Pumpkin Seed Stuffing
Simple Roasted Acorn Squash

These sweet, deeply colored grapes are best known for producing grape juice, jelly and wine, but have a myriad of other uses. They're available in the fall, but are most abundant during the month of October. Known as "slip-skins," they don't even need to be peeled — just wash, rinse and pinch. The skin slips right off, leaving you with a delicious and healthy snack.

Long a staple of Middle Eastern cuisine, the pomegranate has recently become popular because of its intense health benefits. Available from September through January, the pomegranate has almost 20% of the daily required vitamin C for adults, and its juice is packed with healthy antioxidants. Mix the seeds into couscous or sprinkle them over a green salad with orange segments for a Mediterranean-inspired meal.

Nothing heralds the arrival of fall like a bushel of apples. You'll start to see a few show up in markets come late August, but most are really at their peak around late September. Apples come in dozens of varieties with each one serving a very specific culinary purpose. Gala and Jonagolds are great for applesauce, while Honeycrisps are great for baking and cider, and Granny Smiths make a wonderful tart snacking apple that doesn't come into season until the end of October.
Recipe Ideas:
Cranberry Apple Crisp with Oatmeal Streusel
Apple Cranberry Sauce
Apple Butter
Warm Chicken and Apple Salad

The most popular of the winter squashes, butternut squash is available during fall and winter. Unlike its many summer and winter squash cousins, butternut squash holds up well to the bitter winter cold because of its tough outer shell. The soft inner flesh matures throughout the entire winter season, allowing it to slowly develop its distinctively sweet flavor. Use it in couscous with pomegranate and raisins or puree it into a soup topped with chives and crème fraîche.
Recipe Ideas:
Winter Squash Casserole
Butternut Squash Soup

Silence your inner child with these delicious, diminutive members of the cabbage family. Available and at their peak from late September through mid-February, Brussels sprouts hold up to almost any preparation, from oven roasting to braising and blanching. Go savory with thick-cut bacon or toss them with reduced balsamic vinegar and pecans for a sweet fall side dish I love Brussels Sprouts with Cannellini Beans and Chorizo.

Recipe Ideas:
Roasted Brussels Sprouts, Baby Carrots and Pearl Onions
Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Chestnuts and Prunes

Eggplant is a transitional berry (that's right — it's not actually a vegetable or even a fruit), and like most berries, peaks toward the end of summer and begins to decline in the fall. But this year, thanks to the unusually warm fall weather, eggplant is still widely available in most markets and continues to be picked while in peak condition. A favorite recipe of mine is Japanese Eggplant with Garlic, Olive Oil and Tomatoes.

Recipe Ideas:
Eggplant and Zucchini Lasagna
Bistro Chicken and Eggplant Sandwiches

Despite being available year-round, carrots have long been considered a "cool weather" vegetable, and are generally best in the late fall and early spring. Once thought of as a humble buttered side dish, carrots have come into their own in recent years and are now widely available in their various natural hues, including red, purple, yellow and white. Pan roast them whole with fresh thyme or go sweet by baking them into carrot cupcakes. Carrots are a superfood, packed with Vitamin A and Beta Carotene and Lycopene.

Recipe Ideas:
Carrot Cake Recipe
Carrot Soup with Cucumber Pistachio Relish

Traditionally thought of as a Thanksgiving staple, the sweet potato is actually available year round, but is always best in November and December. Sweet potatoes work well in both sweet and savory preparations, from sweet potato mash to sweet potato pie. Not to be confused with yams, most sweet potatoes in the United States are characteristically orange, but can still be found in white and yellow varieties throughout the deep South, where they first became dietary staples. Even better: Sweet potatoes are a superfood, packed with Vitamin A and Beta Carotene.

Recipe Ideas:
Sweet Potato Casserole
Sweet Potato and Peanut Stew
Sweet Potato Fries

Although some varieties, like Bartlett, start creeping into markets by the end of summer, pears don't truly hit their peak until late fall and winter. Don't stop at just peeling and eating them raw — pears are perfect for poaching in spiced wine or stirring into risotto and topping with cheese. For a meatier alternative, kick applesauce to the curb and serve sugar-syrup poached pears with pork chops instead.

Recipe Ideas:
Honey Pears with Rosemary
Pear Applesauce
Butternut Squash-Chestnut Soup with Balsamic Caramelized Pears