Wonderful fall vegetables and fruits still available for hearty seasonal eating.
So it’s happened. Yesterday, November 1, we Torontonians saw winter's first snow. We now tuck our local farms and home gardens in for their long winter nap. But that doesn’t mean you need to stop eating local! There are lots of wonderful fall vegetables and fruits still available for hearty seasonal eating.
At Schmucker's Fresh From The Farm, you’ll find a great selection of locally grown, nutritious produce, including freshly harvested root veggies — carrots, parsnips, sweet potatoes, red and white potatoes, and onions (red, yellow, white). You’ll also find pie pumpkins and a host of colourful squash varieties (acorn, butternut, buttercup, spaghetti, stripetti and delicata) as well as bright green heads of cabbage. Fall vegetables store well in a cool, dry place (most don’t need or want refrigeration), are rich in vitamins, and offer a host of inexpensive, delicious ways to feed your family.
This is also a great time of the year for late-season fruit. We have beautiful apples right now; try the Gala, Ginger Gold or Honey Crisp varieties. And of course, pears: buy them with just a tinge of yellow and let them ripen on the counter for a day or two until they reach that moment of perfection!
Here’s a nice recipe for a cold night when you’re happy to fire up the oven. This is a dish full of vitamins A and C, several B vitamins, fibre and potassium. It’s also just sweet enough to win over the veggie skeptics in your family. Honey Crisp apples are a great choice for this dish. All of the ingredients are available at Schmucker’s Fresh From The Farm. Check out our Level Ground fair-trade spices, locally produced maple syrup, Native brand demerara (brown) sugar, Stirling organic butter and Oak Manor unbleached flour — as well as our colourful produce bins for the apples and squash!
. Photo credit: jitterycook.wordpress.com
Butternut Squash & Apple Bake
- 1 butternut squash (2 pounds), peeled and cut into 1/2-inch slices
- 3 medium tart apples, cored and sliced (peel if you want)
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
- 1-1/2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg (optional)
- 2 tablespoons butter, melted
Preheat oven to 350°. Butter or use cooking spray to coat a 13x9-inch baking dish. Layer apple and squash slices in the dish and drizzle maple syrup over the top.
Mix brown sugar, flour, cinnamon and nutmeg, if using; sprinkle over top. Drizzle with butter. Cover with foil or lid.
Bake until squash and apples are tender, 45-55 minutes.