There are numerous types of produce that are in season during October, being the reason they call it the “harvest” I suppose. One specific type that is grown locally, and in abundance, are winter squash - butternut, butter cup, turban, pumpkins, and spaghetti to name only a few. They can be roasted, baked, fried, pureed, used in appetizers, as main dishes and in all kinds of desserts. They are also uniquely an American vegetable as they are native to the American continents. So show your patriotism and visit a local farmer to pick up a few. Here’s one of my favorite ways to eat butternut squash, in Roasted Garlic and Butternut Squash Soup. Warms the heart and toes.

To bake any winter squash simply cut the squash in half symmetrically, remove seeds and such, drizzle a little olive oil on the flesh and bake, flesh side down, for at least 45 minutes (depending on the size) in a 350 degree oven; or until tender and soft. Remove the flesh from the rind and use however you fancy. The possibilities are endless!

Jj

one of my favorite tricks to get a fresh pasta taste, but with no work, is using wonton skin wrappers for ravioli. you can create a meal in no time that looks like it took you all day long. in season butternut squash is a perfect addition to ravioli, and the taste is amazing.

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I think bell peppers are a wonderful combination of tangy taste and crunchy texture, bell peppers are the Christmas ornaments of the vegetable world with their beautifully shaped glossy exterior that comes in a wide array of vivid colors ranging from green, red, yellow, orange, purple, brown to black. Although peppers are available throughout the year, they are most abundant and tasty during the months of August and September. Lucky for you and me…it’s that time of year!

Oh how sweet the sound (and taste) of a Vidalia onion. I’m thrilled that they’re popping up at the grocery store. The sweet taste of this onion reminds me of the South and Southern Cooking. With the onion being the oldest vegetable known to mankind, they’ve found their way into almost every cuisine and culture. My personal opinion, America should be proudest of the Vidalia.

F.Y.I.
*Vidalia onions originated in Toombs, Georgia.
*In the 1940’s the state of Georgia built a farmers market in the city of Vidalia which greatly aided in spreading the word about “those Vidalia onions” which is how they got their name.
*By the 1970’s the Vidalia onion had become so popular that it merited its own festival.
*Every year an estimated 15,000 acres is planted of Vidalia Onions.
*They are harvested typically from late-April to mid-June and all harvesting is done by hand.
*In 2003, the Vidalia Onion Museum was open to the public sharing information about all things related to this sweet onion.

In honor of the Vidalia sweet onion being in season, make these delicious onion rings. You won’t be disappointed…

Ingredients
4 cups buttermilk
2 large Vidalia onions (about 2 pounds), cut into 1/4-inch-thick rounds,
separated into rings

Vegetable oil (for deep frying)

3 cups all purpose flour
3 tablespoons ground cumin
3 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper

Directions
Place buttermilk in large bowl. Add onion rings and toss to coat. Let stand at room temperature 20 minutes or up to 1 hour, turning onions occasionally.

Pour enough oil into heavy large saucepan to reach depth of 3 inches. Heat to 350°F.

Mix flour, cumin, chili powder, salt and cayenne in large bowl. Remove 1 handful of onion rings from buttermilk; add to flour mixture and toss to coat. Add onion rings to oil; cook until crisp and golden brown, about 2 minutes. Using tongs, transfer to paper towels and drain. Repeat with remaining onion rings in batches. Mound in bowl and serve.

Nuts About Berries…I’ve been nuts about this salad ever since I first tried it years ago. The sweet combination of fresh berries, poppyseed dressing, and cinnamon roasted almonds is like a perfect marriage in a salad bowl. I enjoy this salad so much that I tried to recreate it for a dinner party. It was a hit… although, I think it was still missing the Zupas touch.

With spring comes warmer weather, more hours of daylight, and a variety of fresh ingredients — all of which makes us want to start cooking with fresh ingredients again. We’ve come up with a list of our top ten spring ingredients. Look for these to start popping up in your local grocery store, or better yet…on our menu. Bon Appetit!
1. Asparagus
2. Strawberries
3. Apricots
4. Peas
5. Rhubarb
6. Spring greens
7. Artichokes
8. Avocados
9. Grapefruit
10. Leeks

Summary only…

In my opinion…nothing will change your cooking
more than fresh herbs.

The use of herbs and spices date back prior to recorded history. Many early records reveal a mixture of medicinal and magical uses for herbs. But herbs were also used to mask unpleasant household odors and to enhance the taste of dull foods. The use of culinary herbs is a feature in one of the first recorded cookbooks from the first century epicure, Apicius. In England (1699), John Evelyn wrote Acetaria: A Discourse of Sallets which went into great detail of 73 salad herbs and their uses.

Today there has been a great surge of renewed awareness in herbs. A revival of the culinary arts and various ethnic cuisine has prompted new interest. Health conscious cooks have found that herbs contain no calories or fat - a fact of great importance to those on weight loss diets. Doctors even recommend the use of herbs and spices in salt-restricted diets to enhance flavor without adding sodium content. Adventurous cooks have found that raising their own herbs can be quite fulfilling as a hobby with the end results in cooking as just an added bonus.

Although the calendar date reads April 1st, it feels like December 1st! I don’t know about you, but I’m not going to let that get in the way of getting excited for Spring cooking. Each time I went to the grocery store (which was often) this past week, the anticipation would build up as I would walk through those electric doors hoping to see a produce section full of beautiful bright spring fruits and vegetables. The result: not the picture perfect image I’d imagined in my head, but what I did find was beautiful asparagus; both baby and fully mature stalks. This sparked interest and I did a little research on this delectable spring delight.