Fall In Love With Autumn Produce

Summer is trying to hold on, but alas, the months always change very quickly to fall. October is well known for being one of the months to enjoy the best and freshest produce that mother nature has to offer. Apples, fall squashes, beans, corn and potatoes and plenty more fruits and vegetables are being harvested for our enjoyment.

Apples

There are so many varieties of apples out there that it can be hard to keep them all straight. The sweet and tart flavors lend the long-lasting fruit to many applications in the kitchen. The exented shelf life of many varieties makes the apple easy on the wallet too, with less food waste. Here are some common varieties, when they come into season.

Fuji
Harvest: Late October; Season: October - January
Description: Tall, rectangular, medium size fruit. Yellowish green skin with an orangish red flush and
darker stripes. Darker blush on sun side. Crisp, juicy slightly subacid white flesh with outstanding
texture. May require up to 200 days to mature. Good keeper.

Gala
Harvest: October, Season: October-January
Description: Excellent for fresh eating. A very pretty, medium size, conical to round fruit with yellow
skin patterned with bright orange-red. Firm, juicy, fine textured, yellow white flesh. Sweet slightly tart
flavor. Hangs well on tree.

Golden Delicious
Harvest: Mid September to late October; Season: October - December
Description: Large conic golden yellow fruit. Firm, crisp, juicy, flavorful flesh. Mild sweet distinctive
flavor. High quality all purpose. Shrivels in storage. Requires gentle picking, bruises easily.

Granny Smith
Harvest: late October; Season: October - December
Description: Green, crisp and tart, and an excellent keeper.

Red Delicious
Harvest: late September; Season: September - November
Description: Deep red skin covers a sweeter flavored apple.

Pink Lady
Harvest: September - October
Description: Oblong, green fruit turns yellow at maturity and is overlaid with pink or light red. Finegrained,
white flesh. Thin skin bruises easily. Fruit will store for six to eight months in common storage.

Winter Vegetables

Root vegetables, like carrots, parsnips, turnips, beets and radishes, don’t seem to get the respect they deserve. Not only do these humble veggies supply more nutrients than people realize, they are also a blessing in tough economic times as they cost less than many other vegetables and can be stored for long periods of time.

Zucchini and Summer Squash
Separately and together they are a side-dish staple. Both bring a touch of color and subtle flavor to soups, stews and pasta sauces. Diced squash is tasty and attractive in salads made with greens or pasta.

Acorn Squash
Although considered a ‘winter’ squash, the Acorn Squash belongs to the ‘summer’ squash family.

Red Beets
From the amaranth family.The plant was probably domesticated somewhere along the Mediterranean.

Butternut Squash
The sweet, nutty taste of this winter squash is brought out even more when roasted.

Parsnips
A root vegetable related to the carrot, the parsnip is native to Eurasia and can be traced back to ancient times.

Contributed by:

Chef Anthony Bussiere
PERFORMANCE Foodservice - NorthCenter ROMA