This weekend we made our annual pilgrimage to the country,to visit an apple house and a pumpkin patch. Our car was a good 40 poundsheavier on the way home, loaded down with an enormous bag of apples, and awheelbarrow full of pumpkins and squash. Ordinarily I'd feel overwhelmed withhaving such a bounty in my kitchen (it's always a challenge just to use up allof my CSA share for the week before it goes bad), but the beauty of many fallvegetables is that they last for awhile—Mother Nature's way of helping usstretch that last harvest through the cold winter months, I suppose.

I also know I won't have any difficulty making use of all thegoodies because I just love fall foods and the produce that is being harvestedthis time of year. As you head to your farmers' market, here are some fallfruits and vegetables to look for, and what you can do with them. (Not surewhat's in season in your neck of the woods? Find out with Epicurious' SeasonalIngredient Map.)

Apples: A sure signof fall, apples are one of my favorite fruits. I love eating them raw (or slicedand slathered with peanut butter), but they are also delicious in pies, cakesand crumbles. Or make simple baked apples: Peel and core the apples and putthem in a shallow baking dish, fill the core with a mixture of brown sugar,chopped nuts and raisins, top with a dot of butter, and bake at 375˚F for 30 to40 minutes, or until the apples are tender.

Beets: You're notsupposed to like beets, right? That's what I always thought, until I had alife-changing meal of beet ravioli at a restaurant I used to love inBrooklyn, NY. From then on, I was hooked. Roasting beets (the best way toprepare them, to bring out their sweetness) can be a messy endeavor, but I readan article in the New York Timesthat suggested peeling the beets raw, then dicing them and roasting the cubes,which takes less time and stains hands and surfaces less. I particularly loveroasted beets as a salad, warm or cold, with goat cheese.

Cabbage: This heartyfall/winter vegetable is usually served as a side dish, but it can also be partof a main course if you use the broad, sturdy leaves as a wrapping for a ricemixture, cooked ground beef or turkey, or cooked whole grains. Topped with asauce, such as tomato sauce, it makes for a satisfying meal.

Squash: Spaghetti,acorn, butternut... fall squash are a real treat. The easiest way to preparesquash is to cut them in half, scoop out the seeds, drizzle with olive oil anda sprinkling of salt and pepper, and bake at 350˚F until the flesh is soft whenpierced with a fork (this could take anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour,depending on the size of the squash). You can serve smaller squash like acornin the shell, with a pat of butter and a sprinkling of brown sugar or maplesyrup, or scoop out the soft flesh of any sized and serve it mashed.

Pumpkins: It seemslike most people buy pumpkins for their decorative value around Halloween andThanksgiving. But don't forget they're edible. (After all, pumpkin pie does nothave to come from a can!) Even if you want to reserve your pumpkin to make aJack O'Lantern, save the seeds and roast them. Just rinse the pulp off, drythem thoroughly, toss them with olive oil, salt and your choice of spices, andbake them on a sheet pan at 300˚F until they're crisp, about 30 minutes.They're addictive eaten like popcorn or nuts, but you can also sprinkle them onsoups or salads. Plus, pumpkin seeds are good for you: they're high in zinc andmagnesium, are anti-inflammatory, and can lower cholesterol.

Image courtesy Chrissy Olson.