What's in Season // Mid-Autumn

The farmers market on Saturday was blustery and quiet. We were all a little more bundled and huddled, quickly gathering and selling instead of stopping to chat. The sweet and juicy fragrance of summer has been replaced with fall's grounded earthiness. Most produce I saw begged to be taken home and simmered into something nourishing with oil and herbs in my favorite heavy pot. Aromatics like onions and garlic and even turmeric root suddenly seemed like stars of the show, promising to warm my chilly bones with big flavor and depth. Bunches of dark leafy greens boast of their incredible vitamin-richness and root vegetables shock me with the intense colors found under their skin.  

We have settled deep into autumn and I am reminded how the plants of each season nourish us in the way we need. The fields continue to bring forth goodness! Here's what I saw at my farmers market this week:

Asian pears
Apples, late varieties

PUMPKINS
SQUASH (butternut, spaghetti)
Eggplant
Tomatoes, last rounds (grape, heirloom, slicer)
Peppers, all kinds
Cucumbers
Green beans

Leeks
Onions
Garlic
Basil
Chives
Lemongrass
Turmeric (root)
Ginger (root)

Okra
Carrots
POTATOES (sweet, tiny golden, tiny white)
Kohlrabi
Turnips
Rutabaga
Radishes (common, daikon)
Mushrooms, all kinds

Arugula
Kale
Mixed lettuce
Swiss chard
Cabbage (Napa, savoy, green)
Tokyo bekana
Spinach
Mustard greens

Honey (beeswax, honeycomb)
Fresh flour
Fresh bread
Pickles
Jams and fruit butters