The Best October Produce—And What To Cook With It
Give thanks for the harvest all month long by enjoying the bounty of fall (arguably the best season of the year!). Farmers' markets and grocery stores will be decked out in seasonal colours thanks to all the fresh pumpkins and winter squash that are starting to peak now. Beyond gourds, you can enjoy fresh apples, pears and cranberries, and be sure to take advantage of the tail-end of corn and tomato season. Here's what fruits and veggies you should most definitely eat (and cook and bake with) this October.
Apples
Pick-your-own apples at a local apple orchard, or grab some local fruit from your nearest farmers' market or supermarket. However you get your apples, be sure to make something delicious with your haul.
Apple recipes
Beets
Add some warm earthiness to your autumn meals with a handful of hearty beets.
Beet recipes
Broccoli
This month, skip the fresh broccoli salads in favour of warming soups and heartier veggies dishes.
Broccoli recipes
Brussels Sprouts
Roast fresh or frozen Brussels sprouts in the oven for a fall-ready side dish you'll want to eat all season.
Brussels sprouts recipes
- Maple Brussels sprouts
- Kale salad with cranberries and Brussels sprouts
- Pan-fried salmon with Brussels sprouts
Cranberries
Canada is the world's second-largest cranberry producer. The cranberry season is short, so grab some fresh berries and make your own cranberry sauce this Thanksgiving—it's way better than canned.
Cranberry recipes
Pears
Pears are delicious fresh, but they're even tastier baked in sweet and savoury dishes. For a quick fix, make a grilled cheese sandwich with brie and a few slices of pear. You won't be sorry.
Pear recipes
Carrots
Jazz up your dinner table with locally grown carrots in an array of colours (think yellow, purple and of course, orange).
Carrot recipes
- Sweet and sour carrots
- Carrot cake with fluffy white chocolate icing
- Streusal-crunch spiced carrot cake muffins
Cauliflower
Whether it's riced, roasted or pureed into a soup, cauliflower is sure to be a hit at meal-time.
Cauliflower recipes
Corn
Enjoy the waning corn season before it's back to canned and frozen for the rest of the year.
Corn recipes
Eggplant
Eggplant is a pretty divisive veggie, but if you like it, you usually love it. So eggplant-lovers, eat a bunch of it while it's in season!
Eggplant recipes
Leek
Leeks are part of the onion family, but when cooked, they're much milder in flavour than their more-popular allium cousins.
Leek recipes
Pumpkin
Pumpkins are for more than just decoration! Pick up an orange gourd and make something delicious with it, including your very own pumpkin purée (and then use that purée in a sweet, seasonal recipe!).
Pumpkin recipes
Squash
There are so many different ways to cook squash, which is a good thing, because when stored properly, winter squash keeps for up to three month.
Squash recipes
- Lasagna-stuffed spaghetti squash
- Macaroni and cheese with roasted butternut squash
- Butternut squash soup
Tomatoes
Tomato season is drawing to a close, so enjoy sun-ripened fruit before it's back to greenhouse varieties. Preserve your fresh tomatoes to enjoy summer flavours throughout the winter!
Tomato recipes
Sweet potatoes
There's something super comforting about sweet potatoes, which make them perfect for this transition season.
Sweet potato recipes
- Sweet potato stuffing
- Sheet-pan Sriracha drumsticks with sweet potato fries
- Maple bacon sweet potatoes
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