List Of Autumn (Fall) Foods

Autumn means the air is crisp and it's time to enjoy flavors of newly harvested fruits and vegetables. Let our list be a guide for picking the freshest foods found at the market, while at their peak of flavor. ...there's nothing like warming Fall foods.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Definition of Seasonal Food

Seasonality of food refers to the times of year when

a given type food is at its peak, either in terms of

harvest or its flavour. This is usually the time when

the item is the cheapest and the freshest on the

market. The food's peak time in terms of harvest

usually coincides with when its flavour is at its best.

• See The meal that welcomes Autumn.

Foods common in the Northern Hemisphere

Vegetable Choices

• Carrots

• Chestnuts

• Pumpkin

• Sweet Potato

• Lettuce

• Renkon

• Turnip

• Shiitake mushrooms (though they

are not technically vegetables.)

Meat & Seafood Choices

• Mackerel

• Salmon

• Oyster

• Pacific saury

• Lamb

Game

• Big game, e.g. deer, elk, moose, etc.

Fruit Choices

• Apple

• Pear

• Grape

• Fig

Food Facts:

Carrots:

Carrots can be eaten in a variety of ways. Only 3% of the β-carotene in raw carrots is released during digestion: this can be improved to 39% by pulping, cooking and adding cooking oil. Alternatively they may be chopped and boiled, fried or steamed, and cooked in soups and stews, as well as baby and pet foods. A well known dish is carrots julienne. Grated carrots are used in carrot cakes, as well as carrot puddings, an old English dish thought to have originated in the early 19th century. The greens are edible as a leaf vegetable, but are rarely eaten by humans. Together with onion and celery, carrots are one of the primary vegetables used in a mirepoix to make various broths. wiki

Chestnuts

A traditional food during the holiday season. The fruit can be peeled and eaten raw, but it can be somewhat astringent, especially if the pellicle is not removed.

• see traditional holiday food

Another method of eating the fruit involves roasting, which does not require peeling. Roasting chestnuts requires scoring the fruit beforehand to prevent undue expansion and "explosion" of the fruit. Once cooked, its texture is similar to that of a baked potato, with a delicate, sweet, and nutty flavour. This method of preparation is popular in northern China as well as in Spain, Turkey, Greece, France, Korea and Southeast Asia, where the scored chestnuts may be cooked in a tub of heated coal pebbles? mixed with a little sugar.

• see chestnut cooking tips

Chestnuts can be dried and milled into flour, which can then be used to prepare breads, cakes, pancakes, pastas (it is the original ingredient for polenta, known in Corsica as pulenda), or used as thickener for stews, soups, and sauces. In Corsica, the flour is fried into doughnut-like fritters called fritelli and made into necci, pattoni, castagnacci, and cialdi. wiki

Pumpkin:

Pumpkins are very versatile in their uses for cooking. Most parts of the pumpkin are edible, including the fleshy shell, the seeds, the leaves, and even the flowers. In the United States, pumpkin is a very popular Halloween and Thanksgiving staple. Although most Americans use store-bought canned pumpkin, homemade pumpkin purée can serve the same purpose.

• pumpkin recipes for Halloween

When ripe, the pumpkin can be boiled, baked, steamed, or roasted. In its native North America, it is a very important, traditional part of the autumn harvest, eaten mashed and making its way into soups and purees. Often, it is made into pie, various kinds of which are a traditional staple of the Canadian and American Thanksgiving holiday. In Mexico and the U.S., the seeds are often roasted and eaten as a snack.

• pumpkin pie recipes • pumpkin soup recipes • pumpkin seeds • mashed pumpkin

Pumpkins that are still small and green may be eaten in the same way as squash or zucchini. In the Middle East, pumpkin is used for sweet dishes; a well-known sweet delicacy is called halawa yaqtin. In South Asian countries such as India, pumpkin is cooked with butter, sugar, and spices in a dish called kadu ka halwa. In Australia and New Zealand, pumpkin is often roasted in conjunction with other vegetables. The seeds are a popular sunflower seed substitute. wiki

Sweet Potoat:

North America: Candied sweet potatoes are a side dish consisting mainly of sweet potatoes prepared with brown sugar, marshmallows, maple syrup, molasses, orange juice, marron glacé, or other sweet ingredients. Often served in America on Thanksgiving, this dish represents traditional American cooking and of that prepared with the indigenous peoples of the Americas when European American settlers first arrived. Sweet potato casserole is a side dish of mashed sweet potatoes in a casserole dish, topped with a brown sugar and pecan topping. Sweet potato pie is also a traditional favorite dish in Southern U.S. cuisine. Sweet potatoes slices are fried in bacon drippings and eaten with the bacon on toast. This is a traditional autumn breakfast food in rural Kentucky. Sweet potato fries or chips are another common preparation, and are made by julienning and deep frying sweet potatoes, in the fashion of French fried potatoes. Baked sweet potatoes are sometimes offered in restaurants as an alternative to baked potatoes. They are often topped with brown sugar and butter. Sweet potato butter can be cooked into a gourmet spread. Sweet potato mash is served as a side dish, often at Thanksgiving dinner or with barbecue. wikipedia

Shiitake Mushrooms:

Fresh and dried shiitake have many uses in the cuisines of East Asia. In Chinese cuisine, they are often sauteed in vegetarian dishes such as Buddha's delight. In Japan, they are served in miso soup, used as the basis for a kind of vegetarian dashi, and also as an ingredient in many steamed and simmered dishes. In Thailand, they may be served either fried or steamed.

Shiitake are often dried and sold as preserved food in packages. These must be rehydrated by soaking in water before using.

Apples:

Apples are an important ingredient in many desserts, such as apple pie, apple crumble, apple crisp and apple cake. They are often eaten baked or stewed, and they can also be dried and eaten or reconstituted (soaked in water, alcohol or some other liquid) for later use. Puréed apples are generally known as apple sauce. Apples are also made into apple butter and apple jelly. They are also used (cooked) in meat dishes.