It’s Fall – Celebrate all its wonderful flavors with us!
Cooler temperatures bring the fall harvest, comfort food, and autumn flavors. It is time to celebrate the harvest of fruits and vegetables planted in the spring. The bounty of produce available in fall is at its peak flavor and nutrition, lower in price, and more readily available at farmers markets and grocery stores.
Download our Produce Guide, for free using promo code “fallharvest”. Our Produce Guide contains a detailed list of fruits and vegetables that are commonly available during each season of the year. (Regional differences exist due to climate conditions) The Produce Guide folds to fit in your wallet and includes produce selection and storage tips. Also included in the download is our PLU Cards*,which are foldable cards that can be used as incentives with children at home. Children are encouraged to eat fresh fruit and vegetables, peel off the PLU sticker, and place them on the designated spaces on their card. As children fill up their cards, adults can provide a positive incentive for their healthy eating choices! This is a great way to encourage healthy eating habits at home and to keep your family engaged. PLU cards are available in English & Spanish.
*Price Look Up (PLU) code is a 4 – or 5-digit number printed on a small sticker and used on fresh produce items.
Buying produce in season has many benefits and is recommended when available, but remember frozen, canned, and dried are always a great option, cost effective, and have longer shelf life- so no matter the form- eat your fruit and veggies!
In season items:
Apples | Bananas | Beets | Bell Peppers | Broccoli | Brussels Sprouts | Carrots | Cauliflower| Collard Greens | Green Beans | Onions | Potatoes | Pumpkin | Spinach | Sweet Potatoes
Explore our fall menu of recipes, featuring our favorite seasonal fruits and vegetables and incorporating budget friendly pantry staples. These are great options for your Thanksgiving meal or any day and your comfort cravings will be satisfied! Visit https://www.commonbytes.org/#!/recipes and type in produce items below to find recipes that contain these as ingredients!
Our Fall Harvest Menu:
Fall Harvest Oats – A go-to pantry staple, whole grain oats are filled with energy to kickstart your day and fiber to keep you full until lunchtime! Garnish with in-season fresh apple slices, dried cranberries, pumpkin seeds, and cinnamon for a delicious morning breakfast.
Pumpkin Pie Smoothie – This is a refreshing combo of in-season pumpkins and banana, blended with ice and flavored with pumpkin pie spice (cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon, and ginger. Add this to your morning routine with our healthy hydration smoothies!
Callaloo – Callaloo is Caribbean style dish traditionally made with a variety of leafy greens, native to the Caribbean, called callaloo. Our recipe features in-season spinach, which is similar to callaloo, but milder in flavor as well as in-season sweet potatoes and made with creamy coconut milk, fresh thyme, and serrano peppers. It’s perfect for a quick and healthy lunch!
Brussels Sprouts, Apple, and Sweet Potato Hash – A fall harvest hash featuring three in-season produce ingredients: sweet potato, brussels sprouts, and apples. Hash dishes are traditionally made of chopped and shredded ingredients, usually potatoes and meat.
Beet Crostini – Enjoy in-season beets on toasted baguette spread with herbed cream cheese- perfect for snack or as an appetizer- this recipe is easy to make and a great way to get kids to try beets!
Cauliflower Stir Fry – Stir frying is a cooking technique with its origins rooted in Chinese culture. Oil is
heated to very hot temperatures in a traditional cooking pan called a wok and then ingredients are tossed around until cooked. Made with in-season cauliflower, peas, and sweet peppers, this flavorful dish is delicious and nutritious!
Fossolia – A traditional Ethiopian green bean dish containing onion, garlic, ginger, carrots, and tomatoes ingredients. An excellent side dish made with a balance of flavors cooked to perfection from in-season root vegetable carrots and vine grown green beans.
ABOUT COMMON THREADS
Common Threads is a national nonprofit that provides children and families cooking and nutrition education to encourage healthy habits that contribute to wellness. We equip under-resourced communities with information to make affordable, nutritious and appealing food choices wherever they live, work, learn and play. We know that food is rooted in culture and tradition, so we promote diversity in our lessons and recipes, encouraging our participants to celebrate the world around them. To learn more, visit www.commonthreads.org or on social media by searching for #CookingForLife.
