It’s the season for pumpkins, squashes and gourds. A Musque de Provence pumpkin, spotted at Silverbrook last week, was as shapely as a fairytale coach. Two enormous Blue Hubbard squashes, pale and plump with tapering goosenecks, looked almost birdlike, nesting together at Peachtree’s table. The larger of the two weighed in at 22 lbs. Last week also saw the first Cape cranberries of the season. Danielle Verzone – the creative talent behind Sirenetta -- brought chocolate owls made from cool vintage moulds. Harvest Hootennany, she calls them. 

Rein Ciarfella felt under the weather last week.  Unable to come to the market, he donated his rye bread to Around The Table, the volunteer-run meal program that provides hot lunches at St. Barnabas Church (508-545-1520 for program info.) “I wanted my bread to go to a good home,” he said. And it did. Rein’s Real Rye returns this Thursday.

Here’s what we think we might see this week:
  • Apples, pears, crisp Asian pears, plums, sweet tomatillos and maybe raspberries.
  • Tomatoes, green tomatoes, purple and white eggplants, late-season corn, red and green bell peppers, and chiles.
  • Lettuces and salad greens, pea tendrils, and arugula.
  • Green and lime-colored beans, snow peas. broccoli, bok choy, cauliflower, cabbage, chard and kale. Jerusalem artichokes (sunchokes), red and white potatoes, sweet potatoes, red beets, carrots, leeks, fennel, radishes, turnips, celeriac, red and white onions, and garlic. Cucumbers, zucchini, summer squash. Pumpkins and autumnal squashes, such as butternut, buttercup, blue Hubbard, acorn and stripey delicata.
  • Cultivated shitake mushrooms.
  • Cheeses: Great Hill Blue, Long Lane Farm’s delicate goat cheese, Shy Brothers’ Hannahbells and Cloumage.  Fromage à Trois fresh hand-made mozzarella, burrata, string cheese (and maybe fresh pasta.) Aged asiago and creamy fromage blanc from Foxboro Cheese.
  • Local eggs, we hope. Smoked meats and fish, fishcakes, fish pâtés and spreads. Singe-Sations hot jalapeno topping. Frozen cuts of grass-fed beef, ground beef, and sausages.
  • Basil, mint, parsley, and organic potted herbs, including rosemary. Mini-bouquets of flowers, decorative gourds, and Christine’s show-stopping pots of mums.
  • Baked goods, including Rein’s Real Rye; Pain D’Avignon baguettes, boules, and cranberry pecan bread; The Artisan Bake Shop’s breads, quiches, mini pizzas and seasonal apple pies; loaves and apple cider doughnuts from the Great Cape folks.
  • Honey and preserves. Sirenetta’s new Harvest chocolate collection, salty caramels, and a seasonal chocolate owl made from vintage moulds.  Brewed coffee and custom-roasted coffee beans from Down to the Ground, plus either Westport or Coastal wines to taste and to purchase.
Last week we ran a recipe for roasted eggplant. This week we’re roasting cauliflower. Even people who profess not to like cauliflower one bit can fall in love with this dish. Roasting brings out the sweetness of cauliflower and slightly caramelizes it. And the recipe couldn’t be easier. Have a look under the Recipe tab for complete details.