Amazing Fall Crops

I was out of town, so haven't written this column in awhile and am having trouble remembering all that I have cooked over the past couple of weeks. Obviously, when you go away, if you maintain your pick ups, you have A LOT to eat when you come back home. Fortunately, much of the harvest at this time of year can either be stored for awhile or is very flexible in its uses. Here are a few things that I have made:

Spinach, parsley, onions, bacon(from Ledamete) - the spinach has been awesome this year - sweet, tender and so delicious! So, I hate to cook it, especially when there has also been chard that is a great spinach substitute in cooked dishes. So, we have been enjoying Spinach Salad.

Butternut squash, leeks, onion, carrot, garlic - made the Indian Roasted Pumpkin Soup with squash that had a couple of bruises. As often happens, I had forgotten about this recipe so doing a search every couple weeks helps me come up with wonderful ways to use the harvest.

Kale, potatoes, onions - there is a really simple 1 dish meal I make for a yummy week night meal. Remove thick stems from kale and roughly chop. Cut up potatoes into bite sized pieces and thinly slice onions. Combine them in the baking dish you will use and drizle olive oil and add salt and pepper to taste - I like to add some thyme or other herb as well. Mix well and even out in baking dish. On top of bed of veggies, place chicken legs and thighs, sprinkly with salt and pepper and paprika. Cover with foil and bake at 375 for about 20 minutes. Remove foil and continue baking until chicken is cooked through and the skin is nice and browned.

Greens, onion, leeks, garlic, hot pepper, ginger, herbs, canned beans - week nights are hectic for many of us. Sauteing or stir frying greens with a couple of the "add-ons" makes getting a deliicous healthy side dish to the table really simple. Start with the onion, leeks and/or garlic/hot pepper in a bit of olive oil. When cooked to desired tenderness(don't burn the garlic), add the greens - they will cook down dramatically, so use way more than you think you will need. When greens are starting to wilt, add other flavorings such as soy and/or fish sauce, fresh herbs, canned or fresh tomatoes, white beans or chick peas - the only limit is your imagination! Serve with some type of grain and/or meat.

Thanks again to Mary Liz for a great photo. Does it need a caption? These are swallowtail butterfly larvae dining on dew covered dill. It's difficult for us to define these as pests since they're so attractive.