Celebrate fall by taking advantage of autumn’s bounty! As the temperature drops, dig into hearty, warming dishes prepare with seasonal foods.

Harvest Season Menu 

Earthy peppers, mushrooms and pears star in this autumn feast. When fall’s first cool snap leaves you craving warming comfort foods, put your favorite opera music on the stereo and enjoy an afternoon at the hearth.

• Featured recipes: Bruschetta with Red Pepper Puree and Toasted Walnuts; Autumn Mushroom Stew with Rosemary Mashed Potatoes; Sauteed Pears with Vanilla Whipped Cream

Harvest, Exchange, Celebrate 

Celebrate food with friends by practicing an age-old harvest that still flourishes in the twenty-first century.

• Featured recipes: Peach Chutney; Balsamic Mustard; Gerda’s Granola; Basil Jellies

A Farewell Feast 

Fall is the season of bountiful convergence. While we savor the last of the peppers, tomatoes, eggplant, corn, squash, and beans, fall crops are bursting onto the scene. Apples and pears are appearing at the market, along with winter squash and pumpkins. This Mediterranean-inspired menu makes the best of summer’s last days and finishes with a harvest apple dessert.

• Featured recipes: Baked Eggplant with Quinoa; Herbed Pita Crisps; Savory Green Beans; Rustic Apple Tart

Fall’s Razzle Dazzle: Southwestern-Style Recipes 

September and October are peak harvest season for squash, corn, and tangy chiles—the hallmark of Southwestern cuisine. As love for the piquant flavors of poblano, serrano, and jalapeño has spread, chiles themselves have migrated so they’re now available in farmer’s markets across the country. This end-of-summer harvest dinner celebrates Southwestern and other fall flavors—you decide whether you want hot or mild.

• Featured recipes: Calabacitas (Summer Squash and Corn Stew); Chile Con Queso; Salad of Garden Greens with Peaches and Pepitas; Skillet Cake with Plums

Savory Squash Recipes 

As autumn descends, vibrant oranges, reds, and golds dapple the countryside, especially at local farm stands and urban markets, where richly hued pumpkins and squash pile high in assorted shapes and sizes. You can enjoy these quintessential fall fruits in a variety of nutritious soups, appetizers, main dishes, and desserts.

• Featured recipes: Delicata Squash Stuffed with Wild Mushrooms and Herbs; Butternut Squash and Pumpkin Soup; Pumpkin-Baked Custard

A Feast of Wild Mushrooms 

The deep, rich, earthy flavor of freshly gathered mushrooms complement early fall root crops. Learn how to select, store, clean and cook with wild porcino, morel and chanterelle mushrooms.

• Featured recipes: Oven-Roasted or Grilled Porcini; Risotto with Wild Mushrooms; Warm Morel and Potato Salad

Asiago Walnut Butternut Squash Soup 

As summer bows to fall, drink in one last golden afternoon outside with a hearty bowl of homemade soup and a good friend.  Surround yourself with the warmth of wood and the laughter of a moment shared.

Black Bean and Chorizo Chili 

Try this recipe for a healthy, hearty bowl of black bean and chorizo chili, courtesy Muir Glen. 

How to Make Homemade Stock 

Making your own stock is a great way to use kitchen scraps otherwise headed for the waste bin.

• Featured recipes: Chicken Stock, Vegetable Stock, Meat Stock