Fall has a way of making its way into the kitchen. Apples come home by the bag, pumpkins get scooped and carved, and the first pot of chili usually makes enough for a small crowd. Then there’s the baking. Once the weather cools down, it’s hard to resist making a pie, loaf of pumpkin bread or batch of muffins.
All of that is part of what makes fall feel like fall. It also means there’s plenty of food to enjoy before it goes to waste.
Before you move on to the next thing on your fall list, see what you can get out of the food you’re already bringing home and cooking.
Make more of your pumpkin
You pick a pumpkin, carve it and put it on the porch. Before it becomes a jack-o’-lantern, there’s more you can do with it.
Save the seeds, rinse them and roast them with a little oil and salt for an easy snack. If you’re using a pumpkin that’s meant for cooking, or have extra flesh from a carving pumpkin, set some aside for pumpkin bread, muffins, pancakes or pie.
Once your jack-o’-lantern has reached the end of its season, remove any candles, paint or other decorations before composting it or taking it to a local pumpkin and gourd collection site.
Don’t let the apple haul go to waste
Apple picking can be easy to overdo. You plan to pick a few apples, but before you know it, you’re heading home with a much fuller bag than you expected.
If you know you won’t eat them all fresh, find another way to use them. Apples can become applesauce, apple butter, pie filling or a batch of muffins. You can also slice and freeze them to use later.
And don’t forget about fall baking. Slightly bruised or less-than-perfect apples can still make a great pie, crisp or baked apple dish. Just cut away any damaged spots before using them.
Give that pot of chili a second life
Fall and chili go together for a reason. It’s easy to make, feeds a crowd and usually leaves you with more than you planned.
Give leftovers some variety. Serve chili over a baked potato, spoon it onto nachos or use it as a topping for fries. You can also freeze a portion for a night when cooking isn’t on the agenda.
A little variety can make one pot go much further without feeling like you’re eating the same dinner all week.
Make the most of your farmers market haul
Fall farmers markets are full of seasonal produce. Before anything gets forgotten in the refrigerator, make a plan for how you’ll use it. Goulash and pickled veggies are great options for those farm market finds!
For more information, check out local farmers markets here.
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Some of the best parts of fall happen around the table. A warm bowl of chili after a cool day, a pie made with apples from the orchard or a pumpkin baked into something sweet can all be part of the season. Making the most of that food doesn’t have to mean complicated meal planning. Sometimes it’s as simple as saving the seeds, freezing the extras or turning yesterday’s dinner into something new. If you have food scraps left over, take them to a nearby food waste drop-off location. Instead of going to waste, these scraps can be turned into compost that helps support healthy soil and grow more food.
This fall, enjoy the foods that make the season special and give them every chance to be eaten before they become waste.
