Menu Planning for September 2014

If you’re planning your menu for September, there are a few holidays to consider and many fresh fruits and vegetables coming into their summer peak.

Plan for September:

Plan Ahead for October:

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Planning for September – Apples, Pears and Persimmons start their fall harvest…:
These are the menus of Indian summer – long hot days that produce a full table of fruit and vegetables. Big tomatoes, the first early winter squashes and heirloom apples that are tart and sweet all at the same time! Pears and the late peaches can be served together for one of the few times all year; persimmons and pomegranate are colorful and delicious additions to any menu. Beautiful peaches will be available later this year than most because of the late start to the season, plan your fall menus accordingly. Winter squash are starting earlier!

As we grew up, returning to school often indicated the beginning of our year, new clothes, new faces and teachers – all just starting. For the produce cycle, this time of year is a meandering towards the end of the summer harvest – Fall is here and growing capabilities shift as swiftly as the daylight. This is an incredible time to meld together the flavors of summer with the start of fall and winter products – all the brassicas are starting (broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower) as they welcome the cooler nights and the remaining long days of sunshine. Artichokes and Cardoon can be counted on for their hearty addition to the menu – despite the difficulty in pairing wines with these vegetables the flavors are hearty and yet light when mixed with citrus. While the citrus season doesn’t start in full swing until November, beautiful grapefruit and early Buddha’s hand can be found and the sweetness of navel oranges is available year around. Green pistachios make a brief showing and grapes are heavy with summer sugar.

Other fall items that are really starting to appear are fennel (in it’s peak with the cooler nights) and quince – the fuzzy fall fruit! Enjoy the last month of the summer harvest as we move into winter squashes and hardy greens in October, firm apples and pears and the beginning of hunkering down for winter. Shelling beans are starting to dry so they can be used in December cassoulets. The last of the summer tomatoes are being dried, smoked or canned so they can be used in the winter months…. How do you preserve your summer food memories?

Planning for September: (BOLD below is the peak season and usually more economical.