It’s autumn, Keats’ season of mists and mellow fruitfulness. Enjoy the bounty.
We move from the young and tender zucchini and crookneck to sturdy pumpkin and hubbard. Rough-skinned Russets and Russian Blues replace the naked waxy potatoes of June. Beets become large and gnarly more suited for soup than salad. Fall in Alberta is all about these, other root vegetables and those made sweeter with the frost. Vegans can swap out dairy and chicken stock in the recipes for home-grown canola oil, or a good extra virgin olive oil, and vegetable stock.
Recipes
- Jenny’s kid-friendly zucchini
- Ruby’s Sambal beans
- Gai lan with oyster sauce
- Braised greens three ways
- Mushroom strudel
Eggplant
I had never been a big fan of eggplant, until I went to Turkey and discovered how eggplant can be amazing. Then I found an eggplant plant and actually grew my own. I cheated a bit — it came with flowers and maybe even a couple of tiny little eggplants already. It’s been incredibly productive and beautiful with its sage green leaves and brilliantly-hued fruit hanging from pretty violet blossoms. Eggplant at the farmers market is generally hot house- grown due to our short season. Look for firm, heavy and not too big for best flavour. It’s friendly with cumin, olive oil, mint, tomatoes.