We can still find plenty of apples and pears in the market, now alongside ruby pomegranates with their garnet arils, and cheerful orange persimmons. Winter squash like pumpkin, butternut, kabocha, acorn squash, and delicata are out in full force, and will remain so for the next few months. Sweet potatoes are peaking now, as well as root vegetables like turnips, beets, and parsnips. For greens we have brassicas like kale, chard, and Brussels sprouts. Squirrels bury nuts in the fall, which is a good sign that they are in season! Look for freshly harvested walnuts, almonds, and pecans.
What’s in Season in November?
Pomegranates
Use the tart juicy arils in salads, on your cereal, or even in guacamole. Or make pomegranate molasses from the juice and use it for Fesenjan, a richly flavored chicken and walnut stew.
Persimmons
Eat short squat Fuyu persimmons like apples, wait until acorn-shaped Hachiya persimmons are squishy ripe and use them for baking cookies.
Cranberries
Cranberries only grow in a couple of boggy places in the US, and they are harvested in mid to late October, just in time to be bagged and delivered to stores for Thanksgiving. Buy them fresh while you can, and freeze them to last several months.
Pears and Apples
Cook pears and apples into pies and tarts, or serve them with savory dishes with chicken or pork.
Prickly Pear
The fruit of paddle cactus ripens to a vibrant pink in the fall. Using gloves, carefully peel them and use the flesh for the most delicious juice.
Brussels Sprouts
Roast Brussels sprouts whole or bake them in a gratin, or slice them thin and sauté them with lemon.
Sweet Potatoes
Make breakfast sweet potatoes hash browns with an egg on top, combine them with black beans in tacos or soup, or make a sweet potato casserole.
Root Vegetables like Parsnips, Turnips, Beets
Roast root vegetables, purée them, or turn them into soup.
Butternut Squash, Acorn Squash, Kabocha Squash, Spaghetti Squash
Roast acorn squash with butter and brown sugar, make a creamy pumpkin soup with Kabocha, roast spaghetti squash with sausage and kale.
Delicata Squash
Roast slices of thin-skinned delicata squash with Brussels sprouts and shallots, or roast them plain and serve with chimichurri sauce
Kale and Chard
Make a fall sauté with kale, onions, pecans, and roasted butternut squash.
Porcini Mushrooms
Button mushrooms are grown indoors so they are harvested all year long. Wild mushrooms like porcini sprout after the first rains of fall in the Pacific Northwest, and then they’re gone. Sauté them with butter and marsala.
Walnuts, Almonds, Pecans
Nuts are best when they are fresh, especially walnuts. Freeze if you don’t plan to eat or cook right away. Scroll down for more recipe ideas!
