What to Harvest in September & How to Use It: Apples, Potatoes, Squash & More

September always feels like one of the busiest months for us. The boys are back in school and football season is underway, but the garden doesn’t slow down!

The days are long, filled with practices, school routines, harvesting, and trying to preserve as much as we can before the cold weather arrives.

This is the time of year when baskets of produce seem to follow me into the kitchen. Apples need to be sauced, vegetables need to be canned or frozen, and potatoes and winter squash need to be tucked away for the months ahead.

It can feel like a race against the first hard frost, but there is also something deeply satisfying about seeing the pantry shelves fill and knowing that the work we put into the garden will continue feeding our family through winter.

By October, our attention will turn to cleaning out the garden and preparing for the holidays. But September is still harvest season—and there is plenty waiting to be gathered.

Here’s what we’re harvesting this month and some of our favorite ways to use and preserve it.

Apples: A Favorite September Harvest

Apples are one of the first signs that fall has truly arrived in northern Minnesota. Depending on the variety, they may begin ripening in late August, but September is when apple season really gets underway. Crisp apples are perfect for eating fresh, while softer or slightly blemished fruit can be turned into applesauce, baked goods, or other treats.

When apples are ready, there always seems to be more than one basket waiting in the kitchen. We enjoy plenty of them fresh, but September is also the time to start preserving them for the colder months ahead.

From homemade applesauce and apple butter to pies, crisps, and pie filling, there are many delicious ways to make sure none of the harvest goes to waste.

1. Easy Apple Crisp Recipe

Apple crisp is one of our favorite ways to use fresh-picked apples. Tender, cinnamon-spiced apples bake beneath a buttery oat topping for a simple fall dessert that makes the whole house smell wonderful. Serve it warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a dollop of whipped cream for an extra-special treat.

2. Homemade Crockpot Applesauce

Homemade applesauce is a simple way to preserve a large apple harvest. There’s no peeling, coring, or chopping—just place the whole apples in the crockpot and let them cook until soft. A food mill removes the skins and seeds while creating a smooth applesauce that can be enjoyed fresh, frozen, or canned for later.

3. Old-Fashioned Stovetop Apple Butter

This stovetop apple butter is a delicious way to turn fresh apples into a rich, warmly spiced spread. It simmers in a Dutch oven until the apples are tender, then blends into a smooth apple butter that’s perfect on toast, biscuits, or warm rolls. The recipe also includes instructions for freezing or canning it to enjoy throughout the year.

4. Classic Homemade Apple Pie

A classic apple pie is the perfect way to showcase a fresh apple harvest. This recipe combines a variety of sweet and tart apples with warm spices, then cooks the filling before tucking it inside a flaky double crust. The result is a tall, flavorful pie with tender apples that hold their shape instead of turning mushy.

5. Easy Apple Hand Pies

These apple pie hand pies are a simple, cozy way to use up your apple harvest. Filled with sweet apple pie filling and tucked inside a flaky homemade crust, they are easy to hold, easy to pack, and especially perfect for fall lunchboxes or an after-school treat.

6. Mom’s Apple Fritter Bread

This apple fritter bread is one of my mom’s recipes and a delicious way to use fresh apples. Tender apples and cinnamon sugar are swirled through a soft, homemade loaf and finished with a sweet glaze. It looks bakery-worthy but is surprisingly simple to make, whether you serve it for breakfast, dessert, or an afternoon snack.

7. Skillet Pork Chops with Apples and Onions

Apples aren’t just for desserts—they’re also delicious in savory fall meals. These juicy pork chops are paired with tender apples and caramelized onions in a flavorful apple cider pan sauce. Ready in about 40 minutes, it’s a cozy weeknight dinner and a wonderful way to use fresh Honeycrisp apples.

Other Ways to Use Apples

Fresh apples have a way of disappearing quickly this time of year. Some get packed in school lunches, others are baked into fall treats, and a few are eaten straight from the basket before I have a chance to preserve them.

If you still have apples piling up on the kitchen counter, here are a few more simple ways to enjoy them:

• Slice apples and serve them with peanut butter or caramel dip.
• Chop them into oatmeal, yogurt, or breakfast bowls.
• Add thinly sliced apples to green salads with cheese and nuts.
• Bake whole apples with cinnamon, brown sugar, and butter.
• Stir diced apples into pancakes, muffins, or quick breads.
• Add apple slices to grilled cheese sandwiches or quesadillas.
• Pair them with cheddar cheese, crackers, and sliced meat for an easy snack board.
• Toss chopped apples into stuffing for pork, chicken, or turkey.
• Sauté apple slices with butter and cinnamon for a simple topping for pancakes, waffles, or ice cream.

Fresh apples are one of the best parts of fall. Around here, we enjoy as many as we can while they’re crisp and fresh, then preserve the extras so we can keep using them long after apple season has passed.

Preserve Your Apple Harvest

When the apple baskets begin piling up, preserving the extras makes it easy to enjoy them long after fall has passed. Apples can be canned, frozen, or dehydrated, depending on how you plan to use them later.

Canned Apple Pie Filling

Home-canned apple pie filling is like putting homemade convenience food on the pantry shelf. This recipe combines sliced apples with cinnamon, nutmeg, and a thickened sauce, then preserves the filling in a water-bath canner. When you’re ready to bake, one quart is enough to fill a 9-inch pie shell. It can also be used for apple crisp, turnovers, or a warm topping for pancakes and ice cream. Be sure to follow current safe-canning guidance and make any processing-time adjustments required for your altitude.

Frozen Apple Pie Filling

This freezer apple pie filling is a quick way to preserve extra apples without canning. The sliced apples are tossed with brown sugar, granulated sugar, and salt, then allowed to rest briefly before being packaged and frozen flat. Each batch makes enough for one 9-inch pie and can also be used in apple crisps or other desserts. When you’re ready to bake, simply thaw the filling overnight in the refrigerator—or use it frozen and add a few extra minutes to the baking time.

Freezing Apples

Freezing apples is an easy way to prepare them now for baking later. Peel the apples if desired, then slice them for pies and crisps or dice them for muffins and quick breads. Toss the pieces with bottled lemon juice to prevent browning, flash-freeze them on a baking sheet, and transfer them to labeled freezer bags in recipe-sized portions. When you’re ready to bake, the apples can usually go straight from the freezer into your recipe without thawing.

Dehydrating Apples

Dehydrating apples is a simple way to turn extra fruit into a naturally sweet snack. This guide includes instructions for drying apples in the oven, a food dehydrator, or the sun. Slice them thicker for soft, chewy dried apples or thinner for crisp apple chips, and add a sprinkle of cinnamon for extra fall flavor. Once dried, enjoy them on their own or add them to oatmeal, granola, trail mix, muffins, and other baked goods.

Whether we’re baking a favorite dessert, packing fresh apples in school lunches, or putting them away for winter, apples are one of the most useful parts of our September harvest. With so many ways to enjoy and preserve them, even a large basket rarely goes to waste. A little work now means we’ll have plenty of apple flavor waiting for us long after the trees are bare and the snow begins to fall.

Potatoes: A Hearty September Harvest

We try to leave our potatoes in the ground as long as we can, mostly because September brings so many other jobs that need our attention first. We usually dig them once we’re caught up on canning and the more urgent harvests.

Sometimes, though, the plants die back sooner than expected, and we have to dig the potatoes earlier than we would like.

Once they’re out of the ground, potatoes are easy to turn into filling meals the whole family enjoys. Here are some of our favorite recipes for making the most of the harvest.

1. Hearty Potato Soup

This hearty potato soup is thick, creamy, and filled with potatoes, carrots, and celery. Made with simple, old-fashioned ingredients, it’s a cozy and filling meal that feeds a large family—perfect for those chilly September evenings when everyone comes home hungry.

2. Garlic Roasted Potatoes

These garlic roasted potatoes are crispy on the outside, tender on the inside, and full of buttery garlic flavor. Fresh thyme and parsley add even more flavor, making them an easy side dish to serve with chicken, pork, steak, or nearly any family meal.

3. Garlic Mashed Potatoes

We usually make cheesy garlic ranch mashed potatoes, but I don’t have them up on the blog yet. So until then, these garlic mashed potatoes are a close second. Roasting a whole head of garlic gives the potatoes a smooth, slightly sweet garlic flavor without the sharpness of raw garlic. They’re an easy, comforting side dish for family dinners or holiday meals.

4. Creamy Scalloped Potatoes

These scalloped potatoes are a classic comfort-food side dish made with layers of thinly sliced potatoes and a creamy homemade onion sauce. The potatoes bake until tender with a golden top, and cheese can be added for an extra-rich variation. They pair well with ham, roasted chicken, pork, or a holiday meal.

5. Homemade Shredded Hash Browns

These homemade shredded hash browns are crispy and golden on the outside while staying tender inside. Rinsing the shredded potatoes removes excess starch, while squeezing out as much water as possible helps them crisp up in the skillet. They’re a simple and delicious way to turn freshly dug potatoes into a hearty breakfast.

6. Old-Fashioned Potato Klub

This old-fashioned Potato Klub recipe is a traditional Norwegian favorite made with potatoes, onions, and flour. The hearty dumplings can be served plain or made with ham or hot dogs, then topped with plenty of butter, salt, and pepper. Be sure to save the leftovers—they’re especially delicious sliced and fried in butter the next day.

Other Ways to Use Potatoes

Potatoes are one of those vegetables we never have trouble using. They’re simple, filling, and easy to work into breakfast, lunch, or supper. Even the small potatoes and the ones we nick with the shovel get used—we just set those aside to eat first.

If you have a pile of freshly dug potatoes waiting in the kitchen, here are a few simple ways to use them:

• Bake potatoes and serve them with butter, sour cream, cheese, bacon, or whatever toppings your family enjoys.
• Cut them into wedges or fries and roast them in the oven.
• Dice potatoes for breakfast skillets with eggs, sausage, peppers, and onions.
• Add them to beef stew, chicken soup, or chowder.
• Make a sheet-pan meal with potatoes, sausage, and whatever garden vegetables you have on hand.
• Boil small potatoes and toss them with butter, salt, and fresh herbs.
• Make homemade potato salad for a family meal or gathering.
• Turn leftover baked potatoes into fried potatoes for breakfast the next morning.
• Add sliced or diced potatoes to casseroles.
• Top baked potatoes with leftover chili, taco meat, or pulled pork for an easy supper.

Potatoes may not be the fanciest thing we harvest, but they’re one of the most dependable. When the days are busy and everyone comes home hungry, it’s good to have plenty of them on hand for simple meals our family will actually eat.

How to Preserve and Store Potatoes

Once the potatoes are dug, we sort through them before putting them away. Any potatoes that were nicked by the shovel, damaged, or beginning to soften are set aside to use first. The firm, unblemished potatoes can be stored for the months ahead.

Storing Potatoes for Winter

Before storing potatoes, gently brush off the loose soil without washing them. Then store them in a well-ventilated box or container, in a cool, dark location. Check them occasionally and remove any that have started to soften or spoil.

Freezing Potatoes

Potatoes can also be frozen, but they need to be partially or fully cooked first. Raw potatoes do not freeze well and may become discolored or grainy after thawing. Depending on how you plan to use them, you can freeze blanched fries, roasted potatoes, mashed potatoes, hash browns, or twice-baked potatoes in meal-sized portions.

Canning Potatoes

Canning is another good way to preserve a large potato harvest. Because potatoes are a low-acid food, they must be processed in a pressure canner using a tested recipe. Canned potatoes are especially handy for soups, stews, casseroles, and quick side dishes. I’ll share a trusted recipe that walks you through the process safely.

Although potatoes can be frozen or canned, we don’t do either with ours. We simply sort them, tuck them away in a cool, dark place, and use them throughout the winter.

Having plenty of potatoes in storage makes it a little easier to put filling soups, casseroles, and side dishes on the table when the garden is covered in snow.

Carrots: Sweet, Crisp, and Worth the Wait

We try to leave our carrots in the ground as long as possible as well. September is such a busy month! So they are usually the last thing we dig up, after the canning is finished and the other crops have been taken care of.

Thankfully, carrots are patient and can stay tucked in the soil while we catch up. When we finally pull them, we use them in everything from soups and side dishes to breads and desserts. Here are a few of our favorite carrot recipes.

1. Glazed Roasted Carrots

These glazed roasted carrots are tender, sweet, and full of flavor. Roasting brings out the carrots’ natural sweetness while the simple glaze makes them feel a little extra special. They’re an easy side dish for a weeknight supper, Sunday dinner, or holiday meal.

2. Creamy Carrot Soup

This creamy carrot soup is a warm and comforting way to use fresh garden carrots. Bacon, onion, celery, and garlic give the soup plenty of flavor, while milk and cream make it rich and silky smooth. Made in one pot, it’s an easy supper for a chilly fall evening—especially with warm rolls or a loaf of crusty bread.

3. Brown Sugar Glazed Carrots

These brown sugar glazed carrots are buttery, sweet, and ready in just 20 minutes. The carrots cook until tender, then are coated in a simple brown sugar and butter glaze. They’re easy enough for a weeknight supper but also make a delicious side dish for Thanksgiving, Christmas, or Easter.

4. The Best Moist Carrot Cake

This moist carrot cake started with my aunt’s family recipe and has become the only carrot cake Scott will eat. The carrots and crushed pineapple are blended into the batter, so there are no stringy pieces—just a soft, perfectly spiced cake topped with rich cream cheese frosting and a hint of cinnamon oil. It’s a family favorite for birthdays, holidays, and any time we want something special for dessert.

5. Carrot Cake Muffins with Cream Cheese Frosting

These carrot cake muffins have all the flavor of a classic carrot cake in an easy, individual serving. Freshly grated carrots keep them moist, while cinnamon and nutmeg add plenty of warm spice. Finished with homemade cream cheese frosting, they’re a delicious treat for breakfast, an afternoon snack, or dessert.

6. Easy Ground Beef Vegetable Soup

This hearty ground beef vegetable soup is one of those meals you can make with whatever the garden gives you. Ground beef, carrots, cabbage, celery, tomatoes, and other vegetables simmer together in a rich, savory broth. Add barley or homemade dumplings to make it even more filling—it’s a warm, comforting supper for a chilly fall evening.

Other Ways to Use Carrots

Carrots are easy to use once we bring them in from the garden. They add a little sweetness and color to all kinds of meals, and they keep well enough that we don’t have to use the whole harvest at once.

If you have a basket of freshly dug carrots waiting in the kitchen, here are a few more simple ways to enjoy them:

• Slice carrots into sticks and serve them with ranch dip or hummus.
• Shred them into coleslaw, green salads, or pasta salads.
• Roast them with potatoes, onions, and other root vegetables.
• Add diced carrots to soups, stews, casseroles, and pot pies.
• Cook them with a beef or chicken roast for an easy family supper.
• Sauté sliced carrots in butter with a little salt and pepper.
• Add shredded carrots to muffins, quick breads, or oatmeal.
• Toss them into stir-fries with whatever meat and vegetables you have on hand.
• Make refrigerator pickled carrots for a crisp, tangy snack.
• Serve raw carrot sticks in school lunches or keep them ready in the refrigerator for snacking.

Carrots may be one of the last crops we dig, but they are always worth waiting for. Once they’re washed and brought into the kitchen, we have no trouble finding plenty of ways to use them in everyday meals.

Ways to Preserve and Store Carrots

Carrots keep well after harvest, so there are several ways to put them away for later. Whether you store them fresh, freeze them, can them, or dehydrate them depends on how you plan to use them throughout the winter.

Storing Fresh Carrots

For short-term storage, remove the leafy tops, brush off the loose soil, and place the unwashed carrots in the refrigerator. For longer storage, pack healthy, unblemished carrots in slightly damp sand or sawdust and keep them in a cool, dark place. Check them occasionally and remove any that are becoming soft or beginning to spoil.

Freezing Carrots

Freezing is an easy way to prepare carrots for soups, stews, casseroles, and side dishes. Wash, peel, and slice or dice the carrots, then blanch them briefly before cooling and freezing them in meal-sized portions. Blanching helps them keep their color, flavor, and texture in the freezer.

Canning Carrots

Carrots can also be canned for quick meals later. Because they are a low-acid vegetable, they must be processed in a pressure canner using a current, tested recipe. Once canned, they are ready to drain and warm as a side dish or add to soups, stews, pot pies, and casseroles.

Dehydrating Carrots

Dehydrated carrots take up very little pantry space and are handy to have on hand for cooking. Slice, dice, or shred the carrots, blanch them as directed, and dry them until they are completely crisp. They can be added directly to soups and stews or rehydrated before using in other recipes.

However you decide to preserve them, putting away part of the carrot harvest gives you one more homegrown ingredient to use after the garden season is over.

Beets: Two Harvests in One Season

Beets are one of those garden vegetables we can plant and harvest twice each year. We plant an early crop for an early-summer harvest, then plant them again for a second harvest in late summer. It’s a simple way to enjoy fresh beets more than once without giving up much garden space.

Whether we roast them for supper, add them to salads, or preserve them for later, there are plenty of ways to use each harvest. Here are a few of our favorite beet recipes.

1. Easy Oven-Roasted Beets

These oven-roasted beets are tender, lightly caramelized, and an easy way to enjoy fresh beets from the garden. They’re simply seasoned with olive oil, thyme, salt, and pepper, then finished with orange zest to brighten their earthy sweetness. Serve them warm as a colorful side dish or save the leftovers for salads and grain bowls.

2. Old-Fashioned Pickled Beets

These old-fashioned pickled beets are sweet, tangy, and a delicious way to preserve a fresh garden harvest. The tender beets are cut into cubes or thick slices, packed in jars, and covered with a simple vinegar brine flavored with sugar and pickling spices. Once processed in a water-bath canner, they make an easy side dish or colorful addition to salads, sandwiches, and snack boards.

3. Beet Salad with Goat Cheese

This beet salad with goat cheese combines roasted beets with mixed greens, toasted walnuts, and a homemade honey-mustard dressing. It’s a simple way to turn fresh garden beets into a light lunch or side dish.

4. Borscht

This borscht recipe is a good way to use several garden vegetables in one meal. Beets, potatoes, carrots, cabbage, onion, and garlic simmer together in beef broth, and the soup is ready in about 35 minutes. Add a spoonful of sour cream and a little fresh dill before serving.

5. Beet Hummus

This beet hummus blends roasted beet with chickpeas, tahini, lemon, garlic, and a few simple spices. Serve it with pita chips or fresh vegetables for an easy snack or appetizer.

6. Sautéed Beet Greens

Don’t throw away the greens when you harvest your beets. These sautéed beet greens are cooked with onion, garlic, broth, and a little apple cider vinegar. They take about 15 minutes to make and give you an easy side dish from something that might otherwise end up in the compost pile.

Other Ways to Use Beets

Beets are easy to overlook once the more familiar garden vegetables are harvested, but there are plenty of simple ways to use them. The roots can be cooked in several different ways, and the greens can be used much like spinach or Swiss chard.

Here are a few more ways to use fresh beets:

• Roast them with carrots, potatoes, onions, and other root vegetables.
• Boil or steam them and serve them with butter, salt, and pepper.
• Shred raw beets into coleslaw or a green salad.
• Add cooked beets to sandwiches and wraps.
• Blend them into smoothies with berries and other fruit.
• Bake shredded beets into muffins, quick breads, brownies, or chocolate cake.
• Make beet chips in the oven or dehydrator.
• Add diced beets to a sheet-pan supper with sausage and other vegetables.
• Use the greens in soups, omelets, or scrambled eggs.
• Add young beet leaves to a salad.

Beets may not disappear from the kitchen quite as quickly as potatoes or carrots, but it helps to have a few different ways to use them. And since both the roots and greens are edible, very little of the harvest needs to go to waste.

Ways to Preserve and Store Beets

Beets can last quite a while after harvest, so there is no need to use them all at once. You can store them fresh or preserve them for later, depending on how much room you have and how you plan to use them.

Storing Fresh Beets

Cut off the greens, leaving about an inch of the stems attached, and set aside any damaged beets to use first. Store the unwashed roots in a perforated plastic bag in the refrigerator. If you have a root cellar or another cool, dark place, you can also pack them in slightly damp sand or sawdust. Check them now and then and remove any that are becoming soft.

Beet greens do not keep nearly as long as the roots. Wash and refrigerate them, then plan to use them within a few days.

Freezing Beets

Beets need to be cooked before freezing. Wash and boil or roast them until tender, then remove the skins and cut the beets into slices or cubes. Once cooled, package them in meal-sized portions and freeze. Frozen beets work well in soups, side dishes, and salads.

Canning Beets

Plain beets are a low-acid vegetable and must be processed in a pressure canner using a current, tested recipe. Pickled beets contain enough added vinegar to be processed in a water-bath canner when you follow a tested recipe. Pickled beets may not be my favorite, but I know plenty of people who look forward to them every year.

Dehydrating Beets

Beets can also be sliced or shredded and dried until completely crisp. Dehydrated beet pieces can be added to soups or rehydrated for other dishes, while thin slices make beet chips. Store them in an airtight container in a cool, dark pantry.

Whether you keep them fresh or preserve part of the harvest, beets give you several ways to save what you cannot use right away. Just remember to use the greens too—they will not last as long, and there is no sense letting a perfectly good part of the harvest go to waste.

Winter Squash and Pumpkins: A Sure Sign of Fall

Winter squash and pumpkins take up plenty of room in the garden, with vines that seem to wander wherever they please. We leave them on the vine as long as we can so they have time to fully ripen, but make sure to bring them in before a hard frost.

By the time we harvest them, the garden season is winding down and fall is well underway. Some are used right away, while the rest are cured and stored for meals throughout the winter. Here are a few recipes for putting winter squash and pumpkins to good use.

1. Apple Squash Bake

This apple squash bake is a recipe I picked up from a coworker during my community action days, and I’ve been making it ever since. Squash and apples are baked with butter, brown sugar, and mace for a simple fall side dish that goes especially well with pork, chicken, or turkey.

2. Easy Roasted Butternut Squash

This roasted butternut squash is about as simple as it gets. Cut the squash into cubes, toss it with olive oil, salt, and pepper, and roast it until tender and golden around the edges. Serve it as a side dish, or add it to soups, salads, and other meals.

3. Panera Autumn Squash Soup

This copycat Panera autumn squash soup combines butternut squash, pumpkin, carrots, and apple cider with a few warm spices. It’s blended until smooth and creamy and takes about 30 minutes to make—a good soup for using winter squash on a chilly fall day.

4. Pumpkin Bread

This pumpkin bread is soft, moist, and full of cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg. You don’t need a mixer, and the recipe makes two loaves—one to eat now and one to share or put in the freezer for later.

5. Pumpkin Muffins

These pumpkin muffins are moist, lightly spiced, and topped with cinnamon sugar. The recipe makes 18 muffins, so there are plenty for breakfast, snacks, or the freezer.

6. Classic Pumpkin Pie

This classic pumpkin pie can be made with canned or homemade pumpkin puree. The creamy filling is flavored with cinnamon, ginger, cloves, allspice, and nutmeg, then baked in a flaky pie crust. You can make it the day before and have dessert ready for Thanksgiving dinner.

Other Ways to Use Winter Squash and Pumpkins

Winter squash and pumpkins are useful for much more than soup, bread, and pie. Most can be used in the same ways, although some varieties are sweeter or easier to work with than others.

Here are a few more ways to use them:

• Roast squash halves and serve them with butter, salt, and pepper.
• Mash cooked squash as a side dish in place of potatoes.
• Add cubes of roasted squash to casseroles, salads, or grain bowls.
• Stir pumpkin or squash puree into oatmeal, pancakes, waffles, or French toast batter.
• Add puree to macaroni and cheese or pasta sauce.
• Use cubed squash in soups, stews, chili, or curry.
• Make pumpkin butter to spread on toast, biscuits, or muffins.
• Bake pumpkin cookies, bars, cheesecake, or cinnamon rolls.
• Stuff squash halves with sausage, rice, vegetables, or leftover stuffing.
• Clean and roast the seeds for a simple snack.

Once winter squash and pumpkins are cooked, the flesh can be used in all kinds of meals and baked goods. If a recipe calls for pumpkin puree, you can often use pureed winter squash instead. It’s a simple way to use what you grew without letting a good squash sit forgotten in storage.

Ways to Preserve and Store Winter Squash and Pumpkins

Winter squash and pumpkins are some of the easiest garden crops to store. If they are fully ripe and the skins are hard, they can keep for months without taking up freezer or pantry space.

Curing and Storing

Harvest winter squash and pumpkins before a hard frost, leaving a few inches of stem attached. Brush off any loose dirt and set aside anything with soft spots, cracks, or other damage to use first.

Most varieties benefit from curing in a warm, dry place with good air circulation before they are put into storage. Once cured, keep them in a cool, dry place where air can move around them. Do not stack them too closely, and check them now and then for soft spots or signs of spoilage.

Freezing

Winter squash and pumpkin can be roasted, steamed, or boiled and then frozen as cubes or puree. Package the cooled squash in amounts you are likely to use for soups, side dishes, breads, muffins, and pies.

Canning

Pumpkin and winter squash are low-acid foods, so they must be processed in a pressure canner using a current, tested recipe. They should be canned in cubes rather than as puree. You can drain and mash the cubes when you are ready to use them.

Dehydrating

Cooked pumpkin or squash puree can be spread into a thin layer and dried to make pumpkin leather. Cubed or shredded squash can also be dehydrated for soups and other meals. Make sure it is completely dry before storing it in an airtight container.

We store most of our winter squash and pumpkins whole because it is the simplest way to keep them. As long as they are cured properly and checked from time to time, we can use them throughout the fall and winter without doing much extra work.

But I do freeze pumpkin puree to bake with. And my mom just bakes with hers right away, and then freezes the baked good.

Any way works!

Cabbage: A Cool-Weather Garden Staple

Cabbage is one of those vegetables that earns its place in the garden. It grows well as the weather begins to cool, and one good-sized head can stretch through several meals.

We use cabbage in soups, casseroles, coleslaw, and simple side dishes. It also keeps well and can be preserved for later, so there is no hurry to use the whole harvest at once. Here are a few recipes for putting fresh garden cabbage to use.

1. Easy Coleslaw

This easy coleslaw is made with finely chopped cabbage, carrots, and onion tossed in a homemade dressing. Salting the cabbage first helps keep the coleslaw from becoming watery. Serve it with pulled pork, burgers, or just about anything off the grill.

2. Fried Cabbage with Bacon and Onion

This fried cabbage is cooked with bacon and onion until it is tender and full of flavor. It’s a simple side dish that uses basic ingredients and comes together in one skillet.

3. Cabbage Roll Soup

This cabbage roll soup gives you all the flavor of cabbage rolls without having to stuff and roll them. Ground beef, cabbage, carrots, rice, and tomato sauce cook together in one pot for an easy supper on a cold day.

4. Old-Fashioned Cabbage Rolls

My mom used to make these! These old-fashioned cabbage rolls are filled with ground beef, rice, onion, garlic, and seasonings, then covered with tomato sauce and baked until tender. They take a little time to put together, but the recipe makes about 18 cabbage rolls, so there is plenty for supper and leftovers.

5. Roasted Cabbage Wedges

These roasted cabbage wedges are an easy way to use a head of fresh cabbage. Roasting makes the edges brown and crisp while the center becomes tender. Serve them as a simple side dish with chicken, pork, or beef.

6. Homemade Sauerkraut

Homemade sauerkraut only takes cabbage and salt. The cabbage is packed into a jar and left to ferment until it reaches the tangy flavor you like. It’s a simple way to preserve cabbage without canning or freezing it. Scott makes the best sauerkraut, but until I get his recipe up, this one will do.

Other Ways to Use Cabbage

Cabbage can be used in plenty of simple meals besides the recipes above. One of Scott’s favorite ways to eat it is boiled with sausage or kielbasa. I like mine boiled plain, then served with butter, salt, and pepper.

Here are a few other ways to use fresh cabbage:

• Add chopped cabbage to vegetable or beef soup.
• Cook it with corned beef, potatoes, and carrots.
• Sauté it in butter with onions.
• Add shredded cabbage to tacos, sandwiches, or wraps.
• Toss it into stir-fries with meat and other vegetables.
• Use it in casseroles or skillet meals.
• Add cabbage to homemade egg rolls.
• Roast it on a sheet pan with sausage, potatoes, and onions.
• Use the leaves as wraps for meat, rice, or vegetables.
• Shred it for salads or a quick vinegar slaw.

Cabbage is not fancy, but it is filling, inexpensive, and easy to work into everyday meals. One head goes a long way, especially when you have several different ways to use it.

Ways to Preserve and Store Cabbage

Cabbage keeps well after the harvest, especially if the heads are firm and free from damage. But how you store it will depend on how soon you plan to use it.

Storing Fresh Cabbage

Leave the heads whole and unwashed until you are ready to use them. Store cabbage in the crisper drawer or in a perforated plastic bag in the refrigerator. If you have a root cellar or another cold, humid place, you can store cabbage there as well. Check the heads regularly and remove any outer leaves that begin to spoil.

Once a head has been cut, wrap it well and return it to the refrigerator. Try to use it within a few days.

Freezing Cabbage

Cabbage can be frozen for soups, casseroles, and cooked side dishes. Wash and cut it into wedges or shreds, blanch it briefly, then cool it in ice water. Drain it well before packing it into freezer bags or containers. Frozen cabbage will not stay crisp enough for coleslaw, but it works fine in cooked meals.

Canned Cabbage Soup

My mom turns her cabbage heads into a cabbage vegetable soup mix that we use to make our hamburger vegetable soup. It makes for a super quick supper. I don’t have her recipe up yet, but this cabbage soup is close. It’s loaded with carrots, peas, corn, green beans, tomatoes, and other vegetables in a seasoned broth.

Dehydrating Cabbage

Cabbage can also be shredded and dehydrated until it is completely dry and brittle. Store it in an airtight container and add it to soups, stews, or casseroles later. It will not have the same texture as fresh cabbage, but it is handy for cooked dishes.

Cabbage is one of the easier fall vegetables to keep for a while without much work. You can use the fresh heads first, then freeze, ferment, or dry whatever you will not get to before it begins to spoil.

Still Going Strong from August

The fall vegetables may be ready to harvest, but several of our summer crops are still going strong. We keep picking what we can until the first frost finally brings the season to an end.

Tomatoes

Tomatoes continue ripening as long as the weather cooperates. We pick the ripe ones regularly and use them fresh or turn them into sauce, salsa, and other canned goods. Before the first frost, we bring in the mature green tomatoes and let them finish ripening indoors.

Peppers

Sweet and hot peppers also keep producing until frost. We harvest them as they reach the size and color we want, then freeze, dry, pickle, or turn the extras into salsa and hot sauce.

Cucumbers

Late cucumbers may not be as plentiful as they were earlier in the summer, but we still pick them while they are small and firm. They can be eaten fresh or used for refrigerator pickles and relish.

Zucchini and Summer Squash

We continue checking the plants for small, tender squash. Any zucchini we cannot use right away can be shredded and frozen for breads, muffins, soups, and casseroles later.

Sweet Corn

Late-planted sweet corn may still be ready to pick in September. We harvest it when the kernels are plump and release a milky liquid when pressed. The extra corn can be blanched, cut from the cob, and frozen.

Green Beans

Green beans will continue producing if we keep the tender pods picked. We eat them fresh, freeze them, or pressure-can them for winter meals.

Herbs

Many herbs keep growing until cold weather arrives. We cut basil before frost and dry or freeze whatever we will not use fresh. Hardier herbs can usually stay in the garden a little longer.

Fall Raspberries

Fall raspberries give one more berry harvest before winter as well. You can pick them every few days while they are ripe and freeze the extras for desserts, jam, and smoothies.

September is a busy month because the summer garden has not finished while the fall harvest is coming in. We keep picking and preserving what we can, knowing frost will put an end to much of it soon enough.

Check out our August Harvest Guide for more ideas and recipes for your fall garden produce.

Before the Frost

Once frost is in the forecast, we make one last trip through the garden to gather anything that will not handle the cold. It can be a busy day, but I would rather bring in a little too much than lose food we could have used.

We pick the ripe tomatoes along with any mature green ones and let those finish ripening indoors. Peppers, cucumbers, green beans, zucchini, summer squash, sweet corn, and fall raspberries all need to be harvested too. We also cut the last of the basil and any other tender herbs we want to dry or freeze.

Winter squash and pumpkins can stay in the garden through a light frost if the vines are protected, but we bring them in before a hard freeze. We leave part of the stem attached and set aside any with cracks or soft spots to use first.

Not everything has to come out of the garden right away. Cabbage, carrots, beets, and other cool-weather vegetables can handle some frost, and many of them taste even better after a few cold nights. We may cover them with old blankets or tarps if we want to give them a little more time.

The first frost always feels like the end of something. After months of planting, weeding, picking, and preserving, the garden finally begins to slow down. There is still work to do, but gathering that last harvest helps make sure none of it goes to waste.

Plan Your Harvest Meals

September brings in a mix of summer vegetables, fall crops, and produce that needs to be used before frost. With so much coming into the kitchen at once, it helps to plan meals around what is ready in the garden.

Our Frugal Meal Planner gives you a simple place to plan your meals for the week. Before filling it out, take a look at what is ready to harvest and choose meals that will help you use it. This can save money at the grocery store and keep good food from being forgotten in the refrigerator.

Grab your free Frugal Meal Planner and start planning meals around this week’s harvest!

Slow Down and Savor It

September can feel like a race to harvest and preserve everything before the weather changes. There are tomatoes to can, squash to cure, and vegetables waiting to be tucked away for winter. In the middle of all that work, it is easy to forget to slow down and enjoy what the garden has given us.

Make a meal with vegetables picked that day. Bake something with fresh pumpkin, put a pot of soup on the stove, or serve a simple side dish made from the evening’s harvest. It does not have to be complicated to be good.

The work of growing food is about more than filling jars and freezers. It is also about sitting down together and enjoying food we planted, tended, and harvested with our own hands. The busy season will be over soon enough, so take time to savor it while it lasts.

More Ways to Use Your September Harvest

Looking for even more ways to make the most of your harvest? Here are a few more Hill River Homestead guides and recipes to help you preserve your garden, cook from scratch, and enjoy the abundance of the season.

Rustic Potato Soup – A hearty soup made with sausage, bacon, potatoes, and garden vegetables for a chilly fall evening.

How to Make Apple Cider Vinegar – Turn leftover apple peels and cores into homemade vinegar instead of letting them go to waste.

What to Harvest in June and How to Use It – June brings asparagus, rhubarb, radishes, lettuce, spinach, green onions, and fresh herbs to northern gardens. Find seasonal recipes, preserving ideas, and practical tips for making the most of these early harvests.

What to Harvest in July – Look back at our July harvest guide for recipes, preserving tips, and simple ways to use peas, green beans, berries, herbs, and other midsummer produce.

What to Harvest in August and How to Use It – August brings tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, zucchini, green beans, sweet corn, raspberries, and fresh herbs to northern gardens. Find seasonal recipes, preserving ideas, and practical tips for making the most of this busy harvest month.

Every month in the garden brings something new to harvest and enjoy. These guides will help you turn fresh produce into homemade meals, a well-stocked pantry, and food your family can enjoy long after the garden season ends.