Autumn is the perfect time for visiting your neighborhood farmers market. You’re sure to find baskets brimming with sweet apples, plump cabbages, and luscious winter squash. It’s the most bountiful season as the harvest reaches its peak, and farmers work in a frenzy to gather the abundance before the weather cools and fields lay dormant for winter.
Fill your baskets with some of these fall favorites for a season of delicious, nourishing meals.
Cabbage
There’s nothing fancy about cabbage, but it’s one of the thriftiest finds at your grocery store or farmers market. It’s also a nutritional powerhouse, as it’s a good source of vitamins B6, C, and K, as well as the minerals potassium and manganese. Researchers are especially interested in the sulfur-containing compound sinigrin found in cabbage, which has anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer properties.When you buy cabbage, look for firm heads with glossy leaves. They store well in the fridge, and even if the outer leaves fade or wilt, you can often discard them, and the cabbage’s heart will still remain fresh. Shred cabbage for simple salads and slaws, or cut it into wedges for roasting or braising.
Apples
Like many fruits, apples are rich in polyphenols, which are phytonutrients that support gut health and combat free radicals. Apples are also a good source of fiber and contain vitamin C.While you may only see three or four types of apples at your local grocery store, there are more than 7,500 varieties in the world. About 2,500 varieties are grown in the United States. You might find many rarer heirloom varieties at your local farmers market in the fall. Each has a unique flavor profile, with some, such as the Gravenstein, being better suited for cooking than eating fresh. Tell your grower how you’re planning to use the apples, and they’re sure to give you guidance on which variety to choose.
Chicories
Chicories are a family of leafy vegetables related to daisies that includes endives, escarole, and radicchio. They’re known for their slightly bitter flavor. Chicories love cool weather, and you'll find them available in both autumn and early spring.Like many leafy vegetables, chicories tend to be high in fiber, as well as rich in vitamins. They’re an excellent source of vitamin K, which may support brain health as you age, and contain folate, which promotes healthy cell growth and reduces the risk of certain birth defects.
Acid brings balance to their natural bitterness, so tossing them into a salad with a squeeze of lemon or sharp vinaigrette works well. Some varieties, such as radicchio, stand up well to grilling or roasting.
Winter Squash
Whether it’s delicata, butternut, kabocha, or pumpkin, the varieties of winter squash are nearly endless. These sweet, orange-fleshed vegetables are rich in complex carbohydrates, fiber, potassium, and vitamins C and E. They also contain concentrated amounts of carotenoids, an antioxidant pigment that gives them their vivid orange color. These compounds are a precursor to vitamin A, which bolsters the body’s ability to fight off illness while also supporting eye health. Remember that these micronutrients are fat-soluble, so serve winter squash with plenty of butter, olive oil, or coconut oil to best absorb those antioxidants.
Winter squashes store for months at cool room temperatures, and you can help preserve them further by rubbing their skin with a bit of olive oil before storing them. Roasting is the easiest way to prepare winter squash, but you can also peel and cube them before adding them to soups or sautés.
Onions
It’s easy to overlook the onion, but the ubiquitous allium is a nutritional powerhouse in its own right. Onions are rich in quercetin, an anti-inflammatory plant compound that fights free radicals. All onions contain quercetin and similar compounds, but red and yellow onions seem to be the richest source.While you can find onions in your grocery store during any time of the year, their harvest begins in late summer and stretches through autumn. Most onions are cured in dry, cool warehouses. The curing process removes moisture from their outer layers, producing onion’s characteristic papery skin and preserving them for long-term storage.
During the harvest season, you can find fresh onions at your local farmers market. Unlike cured onions, they have a crisp, juicy quality reminiscent of apples and a distinct sweetness. You can use them exactly as you would the cured onions that you find in grocery stores. Sauté them with a bit of olive oil, or simmer them with broth and vegetables for soup. You can also brush them with olive oil, sprinkle them with sea salt and fresh thyme, and toss them on the grill, where the heat will turn them deliciously sweet.
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