Autumn Fruits and Autumn Vegetables – Eating Foods in Season–Fall Foods
Eating what’s in season is one of the simplest ways to boost your health and nutrition intake. It’s also good for your wallet, as plentiful harvests lead to lower prices.
Make eating the seasons part of your family’s diet and you will benefit from the end-of-season fresh produce. Not to mention all of the fun events that are planned around fall foods!
For the fall or autumn season, there are a number of tasty fruits and vegetables to choose from… read on and find your favorites.
Fall Grapes
For centuries, harvesting grapes has marked the end of summer and the beginning of fall. Round, ripe, and delicious, these nutrient-packed fruits come in colorful varieties–red, green, black, and purple. Of course, the grape harvest festivities often have more to do with wine-making than with grape eating.
When you see those big baskets of grapes at your local farmer’s market you know it’s nearing the end of the season.
Wash grapes thoroughly and let air dry on a paper towel. Display them in a bright and pretty bowl and they will be gone in no time. Fresh grapes left out on display don’t last long.
If you are lucky, you should be able to find some nutritious Concord grapes during the fall season. Most Concord grapes are grown for processing but a few markets will have them.
Fall Apples
Apples are in season throughout the fall, with different varieties making appearances one after another. Fresh, crisp, easy to pack, and low cost, apples fit perfectly into any diet.
Apples are loaded with fiber, vitamins, and antioxidants. This is the perfect time of year to indulge in your apple-a-day!
Worldwide there are a little over 7500 varieties of apples! We have so many uses for our beloved apple from cider to pies – there is a perfect apple for any occasion or recipe!
- Cortland – a great baking apple
- Fuji – sweet and crisp
- Golden Delicious – very sweet with a thin skin. Use for applesauce
- Granny Smith – tart apple that is good for baking
- Honeycrisp – sweet, crisp and sassy
- Jonathans and Jonagolds – tart and tangy
- Melrose – tart apple
- Red Delicious – crisp with a slightly thicker skin – most popular apple in the US
- Rome Beauty – slightly milder apple
- Winesap – thicker skin apple that is good for storing
Fall Pumpkins and Squash
Of course, pumpkins are in season as well. Marked as the symbol of fall festivities, pumpkins and their kin (squash varieties) make their debut in the fall. Pumpkins are quite healthy to eat and their seeds are filled with a magnificent amount of nutrition. Plus, you can carve and decorate them.
Fall Sweet Potatoes
Another orange-colored favorite, sweet potatoes are in season in the fall. Hailed for their status as being a healthy carbohydrate, sweet potatoes are a flavorful and more nutrient-dense alternative to regular potatoes.
Learn how to bake these delicious roasted sweet potatoes cubes in foil
Fall Produce
In the realm of greens to consume in the fall, broccoli, Jerusalem artichokes, radicchio, hearts of palm, and endives are all in season.
Brussel sprouts and butter lettuce are ready to harvest as well.
Fall offers a number of healthy foods to enjoy fresh from the earth. And, what’s more fun than apple picking, strolling through a pumpkin patch, and stomping grapes with your feet? Eating with the season is a great way to celebrate nature’s gifts while maintaining your health and minding your budget.
