#seasonal-produce

#seasonal-produce

September signals the wind-down of summer, which officially ends on the 22nd. It's a transitional month, one where some summer produce is still in season (corn, tomatoes, mangoes) but where autumn bounty is also starting to pop up (apples, pears, squash). I've scoured the internet to find the 30 best things to cook this month. These recipes celebrate the final few weeks of summer and the beginning of fall - sometimes at the same time.

As we inch into a new school year, and look forward to fall colors and football, it's not a bad idea to squeeze in a few last meals cooked on the grill and served al fresco. The nights are finally cooling, if only slightly, and in my backyard at least, fireflies are still calling out to each other at twilight with their fleeting, magical flashes of neon yellow.

Now at farmers markets and grocery stores across the country, typically from September to December, the honeynut squash as we know it was released around 2009 as a collaboration between the Plant Breeding and Genetics department at Cornell University and chef Dan Barber's team at the upstate New York restaurant Blue Hill at Stone Barns. Their dream was a shrunken, single-serve butternut squash that needs little more than a high-heat roast to become absurdly delicious.

As always in August, my favorite farmers markets and farm stands have come to the rescue with all sorts of colorful, fresh and locally grown produce. Cooking and eating outdoors always puts people in a better mood. That's especially true when the menu is hyper-seasonal. There's something so special about enjoying foods that are only available for a few months or weeks each year - not just because they're flavorful, but also because they support local farmers. Often, they're also more affordable.

Every summer, there is a brief window when the produce is exquisite, especially tomatoes which are unparalleled. Enjoy them while you can.

Watermelon season spans from May through September, but its peak occurs in July and August when top U.S. growing states produce the best fruit.

The farmers market is a visual education for urbanites into what the seasons look like and the food each season yields.