8 Produce Picks for Fall

One of my main tips for eating healthy on a budget is to eat seasonally. Not only is in-season produce often less expensive, but it generally tastes better too. 

While summer is filled with so many delicious fruits and vegetables, there are still plenty of options to look forward to in the Fall. 

Below are 8 fruits and vegetables to pick up at the store or Farmer’s Market this season, plus tips on how to use them. 

Just keep in mind that where you live will also affect what’s in season. To find out what’s in-season where you live, check out the Seasonal Food Guide, which allows you to search your area by season or by food. 

 

1. Apples

When I think of Fall, apples are one of the first fruits that come to mind. Whether you pick your own at an apple orchard or buy them at the store, apples are at their best in the Fall!

Nutritional highlights: 

Apples are a great source of fiber and vitamin C, with one medium apple providing approximately 14% of the daily value (DV).

They’re also good sources of potassium, vitamin K, manganese, copper, and vitamins A, E, B1 (thiamine), B2 (riboflavin), and B6 (pyridoxine).

How to store: 

If you’re going to eat them within 2 to 3 days, feel free to leave your apples out on the counter.

For longer storage, they do best stored in the crisper drawer of your fridge. Refrigerated apples can last for up to 1 month. 

Tips for using:

There are over 2,500 varieties of apples grown in the U.S. alone. And each of them vary in taste and texture, making some better for snacking while others are ideal for baking and cooking.

By no means exhaustive, here’s a basic guide to which apples are best for various uses: 

For snacking or adding to salads:

• Fuji 
• Gala 
• Red Delicious

For baking or cooking:

• Braeburn 
• Golden Delicious 

Delicious raw or baked: 

• Cortland 
• Gala 
• Granny Smith 
• Honeycrisp
• Jazz 
• Jonagold 
• Macoun
• McIntosh
• Pink Lady

Recipes: 

• Caramel Apple Bites
• Healthy Apple Cider Muffins
• Sweet and Savory Apple Chip Nachos 
• Rustic Apple Cake
• Healthy Baked Apple Topping (delicious on oatmeal!)
• Apple Parsnip Soup 
• Sheet Pan Maple-Dijon Pork Chops with Apples and Fall Vegetables

2. Cauliflower

Despite being available in most stores year-round, cauliflower is technically in-season in the Fall.

If you’re trying to reduce your carb intake, or simply find new ways to incorporate veggies, cauliflower is one of the best options as it can be used to make alternatives to rice, mashed potatoes, gnocchi, and pizza crust.

Of course, you can also keep things simple and roast it in the oven. 

Nutritional highlights:

Cauliflower is very low in calories and carbs, while being high in fiber and providing 77% of the DV for calcium. It’s also a good source of vitamins K and B6, folate, potassium, manganese, magnesium, and phosphorus. 

How to store: 

While many of us simply place pre-wrapped cauliflower in the fridge and call it good, for best quality, it’s recommended to unwrap cauliflower from its original packaging and place it in a loosely sealed plastic bag along with a paper towel to help absorb any moisture.

Whole heads of cauliflower can keep for up to 1 week in the fridge, while pre-cut florets should be used within 3 to 4 days. 

Tips for using: 

You may not think of cauliflower as having a lot of moisture, but when you go to make cauliflower rice or pizza crust, you’ll want to make sure to really squeeze out any excess water after grating or pulsing your cauliflower. This will help prevent soggy rice or pizza crust. 

Recipes: 

• Italian Turkey and Cauliflower Rice Skillet 
• Low Calorie, Low Carb Crispy Cauliflower Fritters 
• Cheesy Broccoli and Cauliflower Casserole
• Spicy Cauliflower Carrot Soup 
• Cauliflower Pizza Crust 
• Cauliflower Mashed Potatoes 

3. Figs

While the first harvest is in the summer, figs get a second harvest in early Fall – just in time for the holidays!

Dried figs are delicious year-round, but I really love the different flavors and textures of various varieties of fresh figs.

Nutritional highlights:

One small fresh fig contains approximately 30 calories and 8 grams of carb, making them a healthy sweet snack.

They’re also a good source of several vitamins and minerals, including copper, vitamin B6, magnesium, potassium, riboflavin, thiamine, and vitamin K. 

How to store: 

Fresh figs should be eaten fairly quickly after bringing them home. You can store them in a loose plastic bag in the coldest part of your fridge (usually towards the back) for up to 3 days.

The good news is you can freeze them too! Simply place them in an airtight container (you can store them whole, sliced, halved, or peeled) for up to 1 year in the freezer. 

Tips for using:

Typically grown in California, there are a few varieties of figs to choose from: 

• Black Mission Figs: Purple-black outer skin and pink inside. These are usually the sweetest and go well on salads, cheese boards, and yogurt. 
• Adriatic Figs: Green or yellow outer skin (sometimes with white stripes) and bright pink or red inside. Also quite sweet, they’re delicious on their own but are also really pretty when used as a topping for oatmeal or yogurt. They also pair well with cheese. 
• Brown Turkey Figs: Brown outer skin and pale pink inside. These figs are often less sweet and overall milder in flavor. They’re often used in baking and to make jams.
• Calimyrna Figs: Larger than most other figs with bright green outer skin and vibrant pink inside. They tend to have a nutty flavor that goes well with cheese and meat boards or on salads. 
• Kadota Figs: Pale green outer skin and pale pink interior. These figs are not very sweet and have a very mild flavor. While not the tastiest on their own, they do pair well with other strong flavors, making them a good option to use as a flatbread topping or to make a jam out of. 

Recipes: 

• Maple Roasted Figs
• Fig Yogurt Breakfast Cups 
• Fig, Goat Cheese, and Arugula Flatbread 
• Fresh Fig Preserves 

4. Pears

When in season, pears can be so wonderfully juicy and add a great sweetness to sweet and savory dishes.

Whether you eat them as a snack, add them to a cheeseboard, bake them into bread, or serve them over chicken, try incorporating more pears into your meals this Fall! 

Nutritional highlights:

As with apples, pears are an excellent source of fiber. They’re also a good source of vitamins C and K, potassium, and copper. 

How to store: 

Store pears at room temperature until ripe. Once ripened, you can place them in the crisper drawer of your fridge for up to 5 days. 

Tips for using:

Just as with apples, there are several varieties of pears, each with its own signature flavor and texture. Here are some common one’s you’ll see at the store: 

• Anjou: These pears are green or red and have a soft-yet-firm texture. When ripe, Anjou pears can be quite juicy and sweet. They work well both fresh and cooked. 
• Asian pears: These pears look like pale yellow apples and tend to be crispier than other types of pears. They’re best for eating raw in salads or with cheese, but are also firm enough to hold up to being used in a fruit crisp or pie. 
• Bartlett: These light green pears are often the softest and juiciest. As a result, they don’t hold up well to being cooked and should be enjoyed raw. 
• Bosc: These pears have a brownish skin and strong pear smell. While delicious raw, they work especially well in cooked dishes and desserts. 
• Comice: Light green with some brown towards the top, these pears are one of the best to eat raw as they aren’t as grainy and have a pleasant nutty-sweet flavor. 

Recipes: 

• Healthy Baked Pears 
• Crunchy Grain Bowl with Kale, Chicken, and Pear
• Honey Poached Pear Yogurt Bowl 
• Pear Salad with Walnuts, Avocado, and Grilled Chicken 

5. Sweet potatoes

Sweet potatoes are another Fall-favorite. Perfect as a side dish or stuffing for a main, sweet potatoes are incredibly versatile and budget-friendly. 

Nutritional highlights:

In addition to being an excellent source of fiber, sweet potatoes are impressively high in several nutrients including vitamins A and C, manganese, potassium, vitamins B6 and B5, copper, and niacin.  

How to store: 

Keep sweet potatoes in a cool, dry place, such as a pantry for up to 5 weeks.

Do not store whole sweet potatoes in the fridge as they’ll get oddly hard in the middle even when cooked.

However, once peeled and diced, you can store them in the fridge for 2 to 3 months or in the freezer for up to 1 year. 

Tips for using:

The best way to cook sweet potatoes is to roast them, as they’ll get nice and caramelized while still staying juicy.

If you’re short on time, you can microwave them, just be sure to wrap them in a damp paper towel first. 

Recipes: 

• Sweet Potato Parsnip Hash 
• Sweet Potato and Spinach Egg Muffins
• Sweet Potato Chili 
• Sweet Potato Gnocchi 
• Creamy Sweet Potato, Bacon, and Corn Chowder
• Roasted Sweet Potato Breakfast Toast: 4 Ways

6. Pumpkins 

While we usually think of pumpkins as either being decorative or the stuff that comes in a can, there are actually over 40 varieties of pumpkins – some of which are delicious to eat!

Another fact you may not know is that pumpkins are technically fruits, not vegetables. For more info on pumpkins, be sure to check out our pumpkin guide here. 

Nutritional highlights:

Pumpkins are an excellent source of vitamin A, as well as a good source of potassium, vitamin C, copper, manganese, vitamin B12, and vitamin E. 

How to store: 

Whole pumpkins can be stored for up to 1 month in a cool, dry place. However, they start to lose flavor once picked from the patch, so it’s best to use them as soon as possible.

Tips for using:

Pumpkins meant for cooking or baking are often lumped under the name “sugar” or “pie” pumpkins. They’re also much smaller than carving pumpkins.

In addition to roasting them, you can also make your own pumpkin puree for baking. 

Recipes: 

• Lightened Up Pumpkin Pie Bars
• Baked Pumpkin Pasta with Brussels Sprouts 
• Creamy Roasted Pumpkin Soup 
• Spiced Afghan Pumpkin Stew 
• One Pot Pumpkin Curry 

7. Tomatillos 

A distant relative of tomatoes, tomatillos are in season in the early Fall.

Tomatillos are one of my favorite ingredients as they look like a green tomato, but have a wonderfully limey flavor.

When shopping for them, you’ll often find them with their brown husks still on. 

Nutritional highlights:

Tomatillos are low in calories and a good source of vitamin C, vitamin A, vitamin K, niacin, potassium, manganese, and magnesium.

They also contain lutein and zeaxanthin, which are antioxidants that are important for eye health. 

How to store: 

To store, keep tomatillos in their husks and store at room temp for up to 2 days, or wrapped in plastic and in the fridge for up to 1 week. 

Tips for using:

As tomatillos ripen, they’ll begin to turn yellow, red, or purple. However, you want to use them while they’re still green as their flavor is strongest when they’re still unripened.

In addition to adding them to salsa, they go well in soups and stews. You can also use them in place of fried green tomatoes. 

Recipes: 

• Grilled Shrimp with Spicy Tomatillo Sauce
• White Bean and Tomatillo Soup 
• Tomatillo Salsa Verde 
• Oven-Fried Tomatillos 

8. Winter Squash

From butternut squash to acorn squash, there are a bunch of different varieties of winter squash that pop up in the Fall.

While some are prettier than others, they all offer different flavors and textures. 

Nutritional highlights:

In general, winter squash is a good source of fiber, vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin B6, and copper. 

How to store: 

Store whole winter squash in a cool, dry, well-ventilated place for 2 to 4 months. Once cut, store in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

Tips for using:

As they all offer different flavors and textures, I recommend trying a variety of winter squash this season. For tips on using 10 popular winter squash varieties, check out our guide here. 

Recipes: 

• Lightened Up Spaghetti Squash and Meatballs
• Curried Acorn Squash Soup
• Stuffed Acorn Squash with Chicken Sausage
• Creamy Butternut Squash Soup 

The Bottom Line 

Just because summer is over doesn’t mean that there aren’t still delicious in-season fruits and vegetables to fill your shopping cart with. 

See how various Fall produce can fit into your nutrition goals by logging them in your Lose It! App! 

What’s your favorite in-season Fall fruit or vegetable? Share your tips for enjoying it in the comments below!