Farmer's Market Foods & Festive Fall Decorations

Well, the leaves are turning yellow on my drive home, and it looks like it's really here to stay.... I'm talking about fall of course. Fall is an amazing time of year - and one of my favorite seasons! There is a chill in the air that just makes you want to cuddle up next to a cozy fire with a great book and some delicious food, right? The leaves are changing and it looks as if Mother Nature is beginning to wind down for a peaceful rest through the winter. As the squirrels begin to desperately seek out places to hide their last finds, you begin to think about decorating your house to give it some much needed warmth. Let's take a look at a few ideas on how you can create some festive Fall décor this year - and maybe even use some fall farmer's market finds to do so!

Nature's Bounty

Maple leaves (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The great outdoors is teeming with natural décor just waiting for your creative mind. Sure, corn stalks, pumpkins, and scarecrows are the typical approach for the fall season, but if you want more than typical, look deeper into the bounty that Mother Nature provides and see if you can't be inspired by Her. A simple pine cone can become an ornate candle holder with a few simple modifications. Different leaves can be used to make artwork in all kinds of medium. Fall foliage and vines make beautiful ornamental centerpieces for a table or mantle, or even doorways and windows. And don't forget the late fall flowers.

However, if hauling in armloads of dried leaves, bark, pine cones, and branches isn't exactly what you want in your house, try photographs instead. Photos taken of nature create amazing pieces of art during this time of year. The reds and oranges and yellows against a blue sky presents a great contrast in tones. You don't have to be a professional photographer to get great fall pictures. With a subject like that, you can't miss.

Colorful Contrasts

Snowy winters produce a stark white landscape. Summers produce a bright color palette that sometimes washes out to pastels in the sun. But during the fall, there is a myriad of rich colors in every shade of red, yellow, orange, green, gold, and brown. You'll even find rich, deep purples to mix in the blend. Decorating with these colors naturally makes you feel warmer and cozier, which is perfect as the days get shorter and the nights get longer, and cooler.

The trick to creative fall decorating is to keep your eyes open to all the colors you have available.  Rather than bringing in leaves and other outdoor elements to decorate, consider using them instead for inspiration. Bring home paint samples and match them up to that tree outside. Bring home fabric samples that transport you to a glade awash in fall colors.  If you have a chestnut brown sofa, scatter bright yellow, red, orange, and gold pillows around.  And don't forget to add a bright blue pillow, too.  After all, the fall sky offers a beautiful contrast with its cool shade of blue mixed in with the richer colors of the fall foliage.

Cover of Harvest

Decorative Harvest

Fall harvest foods are great for getting your table set for a family feast, but did you ever think to use them for decorations around your house? Keep your eyes open the next time you visit the farmers market or roadside stand and take a second look at the crops.

Many garden plants don't just produce delicious produce and herbs, but also provide a glorious display of flowers and seed pods when they are done growing the edible parts.  When these vegetables and herbs 'go to seed' they produce what can be a very lovely decoration.  Chives and onions have a gorgeous flower. You might want to consider planting a small section of your garden with your regular vegetables and herbs and just letting them go to seed to see what you get.

The Autumn months are a wonderful time to use Mother Nature as the inspiration for your home's decorations.  The colors and textures are so welcoming.  The hues of this season are warm and easy to incorporate in any home.  Just look out the window and you'll have all the creative ideas you need!

And of course, fall is also a wonderful time to get creative in the kitchen! Be sure to check back later this week for some tasty fall recipes.

Mix It Up with Creative Casseroles From The Farmers Market

When you think of comfort food, you think warm, filling, and satisfying, right?  You may even go back in time and remember a less hectic time when a casserole on the table seemed to mean no cares in the world. Casseroles are a great way to combine fresh flavors in a hot bubbly dish and serve it up home-style to your family and guests.  Let's take a look at a few casserole ideas to get you thinking before you head out to the farmers market for your weekly local shopping trip.

The Satisfying Squash

Squash, Pepper and Polenta Casserole (Photo credit: Rooey202)

Squash is a beautiful, and expected, sight in many farmers markets during the fall season. Why not take advantage of their abundance and create fantastic casseroles to comfort the body and soul. When you plan to make a squash casserole, there are a few things to remember. For more interest, be sure to pick out a variety of squash to incorporate so your casserole is not all one color or texture.  When you prepare the squash, no matter what variety you're using, be sure to drain or squeeze all the excess liquid out, otherwise you will have more of a squash mush.  If you are adding a crunchy topping, don't skimp. Buttery crushed crackers and buttered breadcrumbs were made for these squash dishes. Most squash has a delicate flavor, so be sure to add wonderful fresh herbs and plenty of seasonings and real butter.

The Plentiful Potato

A nice hearty casserole is always good for the soul.  But when you combine freshly harvested potatoes with herbed sausage and top it with crispy fried onions, you have a dish that no one can walk away from without feeling satisfied. Potatoes are one plentiful form of produce in the fall, so when you're talking about creating big, comfortable casseroles, you can't ignore the potato.  Now, don't let the word 'potato' make you think of 'boring'.  There are a lot of varieties of potatoes available at your farmers market with different colors, flavors, and textures.  Once you learn the varieties, you'll learn how to use them properly.  For a hearty casserole, like the one mentioned, you want a firm potato like Yukon Gold.  Mealy potatoes are fine for baking and soups, but you need to know what bakes, what roasts, and what you want in a casserole. Then mix and match this wonderful tuber and enjoy.

The Pleasing Pumpkin

You can take a simple pumpkin to a whole new level with the right recipe. This dish is in a world far removed from dessert or even the routine pumpkin casserole.  This is a dish where not only is the pumpkin featured as a flavor, but also as a decorative serving vehicle.  Start by taking a small pumpkin, about three pounds, scoop out the insides, add in all the ingredients you would choose to make a holiday stuffing, such as savory sausage, croutons, onions, celery, even nuts, and mix together with a few flavor favorites like creamy Gruyere cheese and crispy bacon, then add in some more fresh farmers market ingredients like herbs and dried cranberries.  Stir in fresh cream to make everything come together, then stuff the pumpkin and bake.  Serve these pretty pumpkins to your guests and enjoy the delightful ooohs and aaaahs coming from around your table.

Casserole of bacon and leeks in a tomato-garlic sauce (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Ratatouille

With all of the fresh farmers market veggies, there is no way you can resist this mountain of reds, yellows, greens and purples. Made traditionally by tossing a variety of eggplant, green and red bell peppers, zucchini, yellow squash, and tomatoes in a large skillet, this hearty casserole is not only fun to make, but offers a dish rich in nutrition and tradition. Technically not a casserole until you throw it in a casserole dish, this farm inspired recipe calls for taking advantage of the harvest in any way possible.  This dish became a casserole when hungry folks decided they needed to build on the tradition and mixed in meats and beans to make it a full meal. They then thew it in the oven and, voila, a casserole was born.

Look around your farmers market and see what kind of casseroles you can create out of this incredible array of produce and other goodies.  Still stuck for ideas?  Ask the farmer selling their wares what they make with their harvest.  You might just be surprised with the ingenuity these stewards of the land come up with.

And of course, be sure to check back here later this week for some tasty farmer's market casserole recipe ideas!

Tour Your Local Farmer's Market for Fresh, Healthy Delights

This month we're doing a short series on shopping and cooking from your local farmer's market. Farmers markets can be one of the best sources for fresh, healthy foods. Usually picked that day, produce at your local farmer's market is often much fresher and thus more nutritious than even organic produce at the supermarket. You can also find great deals, especially if you shop towards closing time, when farmers are eager to unload their remaining goods at a discount. Fall is a great time for farmers market shopping, with cool mornings, fresh breezes, and the bounty of summer still in abundance, and fall crops coming on as well.

Walk through your local farmers market and you're walking into a world of wonder.  You'll immediately be intrigued with the amazing scents and sights.  Let's just take a tour through a sample farmers market.  We'll choose a scenario in the South as an example just to get you thinking.  Here we go.

The Entry

Farmers market, Saint Paul, Minnesota (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Farmers markets are mostly outdoors in the South, or possibly in several tents or shelters, but with sides wide open. There may or may not be a single entry point. Either way, the masses of people arrive usually pretty early in the morning to avoid the heat of the day. Shoppers descend on the booths and the farmers just after daybreak. You're right there with the swarm, making the chicory coffee tent your first destination. 

As you make your way into the line of tents, you see people bartering over the prices, learning techniques on how to skillfully pick the ripest produce off the vine. You see the samples of honey, salsa of all types, and fruit preserves being tasted and swooned over. The sun is up now and shining bright, but a cool breeze is blowing, thankfully. “Turned out to be a pretty nice day,” is commonly exclaimed by the farmers. The fall season offers a break from the heat, and any break from the heat is a “pretty nice day.” At this point, you have to decide which way to go, so you look and decide to follow the crowd.

The Senses

You don't get far before you notice the aromas. You take a deep breath and enjoy.  Depending on the season, you're treated to the smells of fresh fruit like cantaloupes, peaches, strawberries, and watermelon.  Suddenly you feel extremely hungry.  You begin to check out the offerings, hoping for samples now. You aren't disappointed.  There's a display of cut up cantaloupe.  And there's a peach with a knife stuck in it, meant for you to help yourself.  It looks like there are little spoons next to the honey and salsa display.  Bingo!

You realize you've been sampling a bit too much and decide to buy some honey before you move on.  There are other tables that draw your attention now with an array of gorgeous colors and aromas. You begin to move through the market.  You now spot the deep eggplant purples, the Swiss chard red and greens, and the pale mix of creamy white and yellow of the corn on the cob.  Then you see the beautiful colors of the bins and bins of pumpkins, squash, fall beans, potatoes, beets, and onions.  And and of course the abundance of fall greens; collards, kale, mustard, beet greens.  You turn the corner and the air is thick with a blend of aromas from the rows and rows of fresh herbs.  Now your arms are loaded with an array of colors and aromas, promising flavors beyond compare. You could linger longer just to let your senses enjoy, but, it's time to continue exploring, and sampling.

Taken at the Traverse City Farmers Market. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The Surprises

On your trip around the tents, you come across some rather unique stations. One farmer is selling everything dairy you could possibly think of including homemade butter, raw milk, and soft cheeses.  He offers you a taste of the chocolate milk he is selling and amazingly it tastes like liquid pudding in a cup.  Now you notice another merchant who is making fresh kettle corn.  He picks up his little paddle and begins to make circular movements in a large black kettle. Suddenly, kernels come popping out as he stirs faster and faster.  This may be the perfect snack right now.

You find more of a variety of products than you could ever imagine, from homemade soaps, natural cosmetics, garden decorations, and handmade jewelry and accessories. There is one tent that has handmade organic cotton baby clothes. There is a woman at another tent selling rag rugs she made using her grandmother's patterns.  If you can imagine it, you'll probably find it.  You wander into another section and you are met with a wall of canned goods.  Now you're exhausted.  You're only halfway through the market.  Do you leave or continue your journey?  One more tent.  Just one more.  Then you hear popping in the background and make your way towards the noise and find a farmer freshly grinding grits and cornmeal.  These are the things you didn't really plan to see.  What's next?  Will your pocketbook be able to handle the surprises?

The Purchases

You've exhausted yourself and your supply of cash.  You finally head back out to the car with your bags of goods and examine the spoils you came away with.  A half gallon of that delicious chocolate milk, a small bag of kettle corn, a couple cantaloupes, a jar of honey, some peaches, collard greens, potatoes, carrots, okra, and even a bar of homemade soap.

Oh yes, you will definitely be back. Maybe you should measure that spot you've been thinking of putting a rug.  You never know what you'll find at the farmers market, but it's sure to be a fun and rewarding trip!