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Late Autumn Vegetables (Mid-September through Early October)
Brussels Sprouts
Recipes
- Not surprisingly, considering that they look like miniature cabbages, Brussels sprouts belong to the cabbage family, and, like many of their relatives, they grow best in cool weather. The Brussels sprout plant doesn't look terribly original at
first -- it could be a plain old cabbage plant. Soon, however, it gets eccentric. It sprouts a thick stem studded with odd little buds -- the parts we eat -- all up and down its length, which may be as much as 3 feet. Finally, if the gardener doesn't cut
the stem but harvests the sprouts one by one, a pretty pink rose-like flower will bloom at the very top.
- Some people don't harvest their Brussels sprouts until after one or two light snowfalls. The chill is said to make the sprouts sweeter.
- Brussels sprouts thrive in the cool, wet weather of Belgium, and they are Old World plants. However, the earliest records associating the vegetables with Brussels date only as far back as the late 16th century.
- Look for bright green, tightly furled Brussels sprouts. Blowsy ones are past their prime. And when cooking them, it is helpful to cut a cross shape in the base of each sprout. This helps the stem, which is quite dense, cook through at the same
rate as the leafy parts.
Jerusalem Artichoke
Recipes
- The Jerusalem artichoke is a kind of sunflower, which explains, sort of, how this New World native got such a misleading Old World name. "Jerusalem," is apparently a corruption of "girasole," the Italian word for sunflower, which must have
bestowed on the plant by early explorers. Further confusion surrounds the designation "artichoke" -- the vegetable is completely unrelated to artichokes. Perhaps someone thought they tasted similar. In an attempt to adjust the name to something a little
more appropriate, marketers sometimes call them "Sunchokes." In any case, what the Jerusalem artichoke is (as opposed to what it isn't), is a member of the Aster family that grows up to 10 feet tall and bears bright yellow, cheerful flowers. Like many
kinds of sunflowers, the hardy Jerusalem artichoke grows rapidly and with enthusiasm. It can become a weed if the gardener doesn't keep it under control.
- The edible part of the plant is the tuberous root. With its pale brown, smooth, thin skin, it looks quite a bit like a large gingerroot.
- Both dieters and diabetics appreciate Jerusalem artichokes because they contain a kind of carbohydrate known as inulin. This compound can be processed to form fructose, which is sweeter than sucrose (plain old sugar) but has fewer calories and
does not adversely affect diabetics. Inulin, by the way, is not related to insulin.
- Jerusalem artichoke is good both raw and cooked. Raw, it is as crisp as water chestnuts (and can be used as a substitute for them). Cooking them with the skin on causes the vegetable to darken a bit but doesn't affect the flavor. If you want to
preserve the bright white color, peel the tubers and immediately submerge them in acidulated water until they are all ready to go into the pot.
Rutabagas
Recipes
- Both the rutabaga and its close relative and near-twin, the turnip, belong to the cabbage family, Brassicaceae. In fact, rutabagas are believed to be a hybrid of the turnip and cabbage. While there is evidence that turnips originated in eastern
Asia and have nourished people since the earliest times, rutabagas don't appear on the scene until the 17th century or so.
- The Swedish word for the vegtable, "rotabagge," is the source of our word "rutabaga." For that reason, some people call them Swedish turnips, or Swedes.
- In spite of the close association between the two vegetables, rutabagas have a few advantages over turnips. They are harvested later, so they belong to the fairly small, elite group of cold-weather vegetables. After harvest, turnips last only
about a week, whereas rutabagas can be stored for over twice that. They are more nutritious, too. Across the boards, rutabagas have more fiber, calcium, magnesium, potassium, vitamins C and A, and folate.
- At larger markets, rutabagas are sometimes sold with a wax coating to prevent dehydration and to increase the storage life.
Herbs
- marjoram/oregano (available all winter in temperate climates)
- rosemary (available all winter in temperate climates)
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