Autumn is the time of the richest bounty. The food that has been growing all summer is ready for harvest. Through the late summer into autumn, now is the time to buy enough food at farmers’ markets to put by for winter when less fresh food is available. I like to make jam and preserves from the bountiful ripe fruit. I freeze vegetables for winter meals. My grandparents, lifelong gardeners, did this every year. Now, I do it, too.

The variety of seasonal autumn foods is often larger than those of summer. The warm weather crops, that were started in late spring and early summer re ready for harvest. Cool weather crops are planted in mid-summer to harvest in late summer and fall. Food put by or preserved for eating during the winter and spring months.

This is the last seasonal food list for food crops and completes the cycle. We started with winter seasonal foods in January. These seasonal food lists are a c guide to help fill out your seasonal round. To learn about eating seasonally, visit CUESA for seasonality charts and what is in season now.

Some of the vegetables listed are technically a fruit, but we use them as vegetables.

Vegetables

artichokes
beans
beets
bell peppers
broccoli
broccoli rabe
brussels sprouts
cabbage
carrots
cauliflower
celery
celery root
chard
chile peppers
cucumbers
eggplant
fennel
kohlrabi
lentils
mushrooms – chanterelle, porcini, shiitake, truffles
okra
onions
peas
peppers
potatoes
rutabagas
salsify
squash, summer (soft-rind – zucchini, cook necks, scallop, patty pan)
squash, winter (hard-rind – acorn, butternut, Hubbard)
sweet potatoes
tomatoes
yams

Leafy Greens

collards
endive, Belgian
escarole
fennel
kale
lettuce
radicchio
spinach
watercress

Fruits

apples
cantaloupe
cranberries
dates
figs
gauva
gooseberries
grapes
huckleberries
oranges, blood
passion fruit
pears
persimmons
plums
pomegranates
pumpkins
qunice
watermelon

Nuts

almonds
chestnuts
pistachios
pumpkin seeds
sunflower seeds
walnuts

Meats

duck
pheasant
turkey

Fish and Shellfish

oysters
scallops

Herbs, Spices, and Seasonings

allspice
basil
cayenne
cinnamon
cloves
cumin
garlic
horseradish
lovage
mustard
nutmeg
sage

 

The rest of the seasonal foods post.

Seasonal foods for spring
Seasonal foods for summer
Seasonal foods for Winter
How to Create a Seasonal Round