Seasonal Eating: October

Yesterday morning marked a significant moment in the shifting of seasons—it was the first day this fall that I've had to wear my Very Warm Puffy Coat for my walk to work. As the air becomes more crisp I'm looking forward to fall foods' warm colors and warm spices.

Eating seasonally isn't intuitive, and the constant availability of most produce in supermarkets (imported from other climates) gives the illusion that these foods should always be available.

The Seasonal Food Guide is my favorite resource for checking what's in and out of season at any time, any place in the U.S. (and if you live outside of the U.S., you can check your local area's agricultural hardiness zone to find a comparable U.S. climate).

In excitement for the beginning of a new month, I compiled two lists: one for foods newly available in October, and another for foods which will go out of season this month—get them fresh while you can!

Here are the new arrivals in Oregon's October:

1. Pumpkin (of course!)

2. Hazelnuts

3. Quince

The Much Longer List:

As we head into late fall and early winter, these plants go into dormancy. Cook them up while you have the chance!

- Asian Pears

- Boysenberries

- Brussels Sprouts

- Cabbage

- Corn

- Cucumber

- Eggplant

- Grapes

- Groundcherries

- Kohlrabi

- Lavender

- Lettuce

- Lima Beans

- Melons

- Peaches

- Pumpkin (it's a super short season—hence the hype!)

- Peppers

- Radishes

- Shell Beans

- Sunchokes

- Tomatillos

- Tomatoes