Happy Fall, Y’all!
“The heat of autumn
is different from the heat of summer
One ripens apples, the other turns them to cider.”
The first official day of Fall is Thursday!
While we live in Middle Georgia and probably won’t see cooler weather for a bit, I like to think you can feel the change in the air. The days are getting shorter, and that feeling of needing to make soup happens. Officially this day is called the autumnal equinox. Equinox separated into its root words mean “equal night,” which means that the night is roughly the same length as the day. I personally love this time of year with the leaves changing and the mornings getting cooler and there is a breeze that blows through that hints at cozier times ahead.
The colors of fall are rich and warm and make me want to create things! In the past I have made wreaths with the falling hickory nuts in my yard for holiday gifts later. I also love to make fall spiced baked goods for loved ones! Pumpkin spice is the most familiar way to taste those flavors, but they got their start in what is now known as Indonesia. What we associate as fall or warm spices are actually everyday spices for many cultures. They use these wonderful spices to create amazing flavors in many dishes! These cultures have used these spices for centuries before they were ever used in pumpkin pie. I love a good pumpkin pie, but I also love chai and pork roast with these flavors. There are many ways to celebrate these flavors in a sweet or savory way! The recipe below features pumpkin and kale, and while this recipe does not include pumpkin spice, some other recipes I found did!
Middle GA Growers Co-op has some great late summer veggies along with eggs and coastal GA shrimp! Vesterfield has some wonderful veggies along with lettuce and ginger and dried flowers! Salamander Springs is bringing various herbs fresh cut and potted along with greens, onion, and peppers! They also have beautiful bouquets! Be sure to check them out! We have a new produce vendor with us! They came last week and will be with us this week as well. They are McCrary Farms out of Molena, GA and are excited to help bring us fresh locally grown produce along with our other produce vendors!
Produce: Okra, sweet peppers, jalapenos, garlic, microgreens, pumpkins, microgreens, butterhead lettuce, baby kale mix, ginger, onions, peppers, greens, pears, potted and fresh cut herbs
Please give us a follow on Facebook for important updates. The link is: https://www.facebook.com/Napier-Heights-Food-Co-op-105813577853396
We’re also on Instagram !
We partner with Wholesome Wave Georgia each week to double SNAP benefits to help make fresh food a bit more accessible. Click the link for more information about this program: https://www.wholesomewavegeorgia.org/
Our wonderful produce vendors have pre-order sites. This is a great way to guarantee the seasonal goodness they have. Their hours are below:
Vesterfield Farms has a pre-order site that you can access from Sunday 1:00pm to Tuesday 9:00am vesterfieldfarms.com
Rag and Frass Farm along with Middle Georgia Growers Co-op has a pre-order site that you can access on Mondays for pickup at the market farmersweb.com/producers/ragandfrassfarm
I love a risotto! They are not as daunting as some have been led to believe, they just take a bit of hands on work. One of my favorite ways to enjoy winter squashes is in risotto! It’s so versatile! If you prefer a vegetarian version, swap out the cheese for pumpkin puree for that creaminess of cheese without the cheese. If you prefer not to use wine, just add more veggie stock. If you prefer a different winter squash all together, swap that out! Risotto is one of the super customizable dishes that you can really make to whatever you want.