You know those meals that really hit when fall rolls around? The first soup of the season or a tray of roasted vegetables can make the change in seasons feel official.
And right now, the garden is getting ready to provide everything you need. The squash are filling out, root vegetables are still working beneath the soil, and cool-weather greens are settling into their stride. You may not be bringing everything into the kitchen just yet, but it's time to get excited about what you can cook up when you do.
Fall crops are especially fun to cook because so many of them thrive with pretty simple preparation. Root vegetables get sweeter and richer in the oven, winter squash can become the center of a meal, and fresh greens and herbs can be turned into sauces and spreads that keep the garden on your plate long after harvest.
Today, instead of giving you long, complex recipes, we’re sharing a few core cooking strategies that bring out the best flavors in your fall garden.
So, when your fall crops are finally ready to come inside, here’s how to cook them.
Roast Your Root Vegetables
Carrots, beets, potatoes, onions, and turnips are some of the easiest fall crops to turn into dinner. Roasting brings out their natural sweetness while giving them crisp, caramelized edges, and you can mix whatever else happens to be ready in the garden.
For an easy roasted vegetable tray:
Heat your oven to 425°F. Cut your vegetables into similarly sized pieces so they cook at roughly the same rate, then spread them across a baking sheet with enough room to brown rather than steam.
Toss everything with olive oil, salt, pepper, and a few sprigs of rosemary or thyme. Bonus points if the herbs came from your own garden.
Roast for about 30 to 45 minutes, tossing once halfway through, until the vegetables are browned around the edges and tender when pierced with a fork.
Finish with fresh parsley or any herbs you have on hand. You can serve the vegetables on their own, spoon them over a grain bowl, add them to a salad, or pair them with your favorite main dish.
From the garden: Carrots, beets, potatoes, onions, turnips, rosemary, thyme, parsley
Harvest shopping opportunity: Root vegetable seeds, herb-growing supplies, soil amendments, or fall garden essentials.
Squash Can Be the Centerpiece
Squash is worth waiting for. Butternut, acorn, delicata, and other winter varieties develop firm flesh and tougher skins as they mature, making them particularly well suited to roasting.
Instead of treating squash as another side dish, make it the base of the meal.
For stuffed roasted squash:
Heat your oven to 400°F. Halve an acorn or delicata squash lengthwise and scoop out the seeds. Brush the cut sides with olive oil, season with salt and pepper, and place the squash cut-side down on a baking sheet.
Roast until the flesh is tender enough to easily pierce with a fork. Depending on the size and variety, this will generally take around 25 to 45 minutes.
While it cooks, make your filling. Grab onions and garlic and sauté them with whatever greens you have available, such as kale or chard.
Once your veggies are ready, combine them with any preferred grain such as rice, farro, or quinoa. Then add toasted nuts, cheese, fresh sage, or other herbs. Mix all of this together for a rich, flavorful filling.
Flip the cooked squash over, spoon the filling into the center, and return it to the oven for a few minutes to warm everything through.
The filling can change with whatever your garden gives you. As long as you have the squash for your base, you can return to this recipe throughout the season.
From the garden: Winter squash, kale or chard, onions, garlic, sage
Still planning your cool-weather garden? Explore Harvest CO's products to plan your planting.
Roast the Last Tomatoes and Peppers Into Salsa
The beginning of fall often overlaps with the final stretch of summer crops. If your tomato and pepper plants are still producing as temperatures begin to change, roasting them into salsa is an easy way to make the most of the final harvest.
For a simple roasted salsa:
Set your oven to broil. Halve your tomatoes and arrange them on a baking sheet with peppers, chunks of onion, and a few peeled garlic cloves.
Broil until everything has softened and developed some char around the edges. Keep an eye on the garlic and remove it earlier so it doesn’t burn.
Transfer everything to a blender or food processor. Add fresh cilantro, lime juice, and salt, then pulse until the salsa reaches the texture you like.
Taste and adjust the lime and salt before serving. You can eat it immediately or refrigerate it for the next few days.
From the garden: Tomatoes, peppers, onions, garlic, cilantro
SHOP ESSENTIAL HARVESTING TOOLS
Fall Green Garden Pesto
Basil may get most of the pesto attention during summer, but the same basic technique works with plenty of fall crops.
Kale, arugula, parsley, and even carrot tops can become the base of a fresh green sauce. It’s also an easy way to use smaller harvests that may not be enough for an entire meal on their own.
For an easy fall garden pesto:
Add about two packed cups of washed greens to a food processor with one garlic clove, a handful of nuts or seeds, grated Parmesan, and a squeeze of lemon.
Pulse everything together, then slowly add olive oil until the pesto reaches the consistency you want. Season with salt and add more lemon, cheese, or garlic to taste.
Spoon it over pasta, roasted vegetables, eggs, sandwiches, or the squash you just pulled out of the oven.
This is one of those recipes that gets better when you stop worrying about following it perfectly. Use what the garden gives you and adjust as you go.
From the garden: Kale, arugula, parsley, carrot tops, garlic
*To keep your herbs growing through the winter, setting up an indoor garden is easier than you might think. Shop here for seed-starting supplies, grow lights, and *containers.
Start Planning What’s for Dinner
Whether you’re already pulling a few things from the garden or still watching your fall crops grow, now is a good time to start thinking beyond the harvest itself.
Look at what you’re growing and imagine where it could end up. A handful of root vegetables can become a sheet pan dinner, a ripe squash can be the vessel for everything else the garden has to offer, and there are still plenty of ways to make something delicious out of that final summer harvest.
Growing your own food makes fall cooking feel a little different. Instead of reaching for the same rotation of recipes, dinner gets to shift with the seasons, giving you a reason to get creative with whatever is growing in your backyard.
So start planning what's for dinner. Your garden is already working on the ingredients.
