Fall Harvest Vegetables

These hearty vegetables are usually planted in mid-summer to be ready for harvesting in the fall. Traditionally, fall harvest was a time to collect food needed to survive harsh winters; many of these vegetables are conveniently able to keep for long periods of time, even as long as months, when stored properly.

Roasting is a good way to cook vegetables like beets, carrots, turnips, sweet potatoes, parsnips, and potatoes. Wash and chop the vegetables, mix with a little oil, salt, and pepper, and bake on baking sheet in 400°F oven until the vegetables are soft - 15-45 minutes depending on type of vegetables and size of chunks.

Beets

Wash beets gently. Put the beets in the pot and add enough water to just cover them. Cover with a lid and bring the water to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until beets are easily pierced with a knife, about 15 to 30 minutes, depending on the size of the beets.

Sweet Potatoes

Pierce potatoes with a fork in several places. Microwave on high for 5 to 7 minutes or until tender, turning the potatoes once.

Cut sweet potato into wedges and toss with a little oil, cayenne pepper, paprika, and salt. Bake on a baking sheet at 400°F until tender all the way through, 30 to 40 minutes.

Carrots

Top any salad with grated or sliced carrots

Add shredded carrot to scrambled eggs or frittatas.

Add grated carrots to hot or cold sandwiches - even peanut butter and jelly!

Parsnips

Add grated parsnips to grated potatoes when making hash browns.

Cut parsnips into 3 1/2 inch strips, toss with vegetable oil, season with salt and pepper, and bake on a baking sheet in 450°F oven for 10 minutes. Turn over and roast for another 10 minutes

Turnips

Add turnips to meat or vegetable soup, stew, broth, or stock.

Kale

Wash and dry kale, remove stems, and cut or tear into pieces. Massage with vegetable oil, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Let sit in fridge for 10 minutes.

Wash and dry kale, remove stems, and cut or tear into pieces. Massage in 1/2 Tablespoon of oil per baking sheet of kale chips. Spread in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake at 300°F for 10 minutes, rotate pan, and bake for another 15 minutes. Let cool 3 minutes and eat right away.

Winter Squash

Clean the squash, pierce several times with a sharp knife. Bake at 400°F until tender and pierced easily with a fork, about 60 minutes.

Clean the squash, cut in half, remove the seeds and strings (leave strings in for spaghetti squash), place squash cut side down in pan, pour 1/4 inch water in pan, and bake until tender, about 45 minutes.

Have spaghetti squash instead of spaghetti for dinner! Cook the squash as above. Scoop out flesh and serve with marinara sauce.

Featured Recipe

Harvest Vegetable Salad

Wash all vegetables. Trim or peal as needed. Cut into bite-sized pieces.In large bowl, combine all salad ingredients.In a small jar with a tight-fitting lid, combine alldressing ingredients and shake well. Pour dressing over vegetables and stir to coat.Cover; refrigerate 1 to 4 hours to marinate, tossingoccasionally. Add salt to taste (no more than 1/4 teaspoon), if desired.

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