BROOKINGS – It might be fall, but that doesn’t mean the cooler weather has put the Brookings Farmers Market out of business for the season. In fact, there are two more weeks to find garden-fresh produce before the market goes into hibernation for the winter.

“Our mission is to provide a community space for all walks of life to build relationships with farmers and community members,” said Louise Snodgrass, Brookings Farmers Market manager. 

For market-goer Nichole Jeppesen, “the farmers market is one of my favorite ways to support the community and purchase fresh produce for the week.”

Located on the 300 block of Sixth Avenue between the Brookings County Courthouse and the library, the market is open from 9 a.m.-noon Saturdays, now through the end of October.

Steve Helling of Hillside Prairie Gardens has been a vendor at the farmers market for the past 10 years. This organic produce vendor’s stall was full of people on a recent Satruday looking to fill their bags with fresh and local fruits and vegetables.

While daylight dwindles, the produce selection at the Brookings Farmers Market is as bountiful as ever. Here are four fall foods to find at the farmers market this week and a few ways to serve them:

Squash

Fresh acorn and buttercup squashes fill crates lining the streets, and their candy-like content make for a perfect addition to a fall meal. Tina Fenten shared her favorite way to use squash as a soup:

Easy roasted butternut squash soup  

(from Tina Fenten)  

1 large butternut squash

2 large carrots

3 stalks of celery

1 large onion

5 cloves of garlic

6 sage leaves

6 sprigs of thyme

1 spring of rosemary

¼ tsp. cayenne red pepper powder (less if you do not like)

Salt & pepper to taste

2 tbsp. olive oil

3 ½ cups vegetable stock

½-¾ cup of heavy whipping cream

1) Preheat oven to 350˚F.

2) Peel, pit and chop butternut squash into 1-inch chunks. Add to large roasting pan.

3) Chop the carrots, celery and onions in large chunks and add to the pan.

4) Peel garlic cloves and add whole to pan. 

5) Add the herbs (remove stems), red pepper powder, salt and pepper. Add olive oil and toss to coat. 

6) Roast for 1 hour or until veggies are soft (up to 1 hour 15 min).

7) Once the veggies and herbs are roasted, add to food processor or blender with 1 cup of vegetable stock and puree.

8) Pour into large saucepan. Add the remaining vegetable stock and cream. 

9) Simmer on low for 10-15 minutes.

10) Serve topped with feta cheese and croutons.

French pole beans

Another of Helling’s fall favorites are French pole beans. These long green beans make a great crunchy addition to an evening’s dinner. Kirsten Gjesdal of The Carrot Seed Kitchen Co. says her favorite way to serve green beans is to sauté them. She shared her favorite way to top and flavor the beans. 

Kirsten’s go-to green beans

(from Kirsten Gjesdal, The Carrot Seed)

Green beans

Olive oil

Lemon juice

Salt and pepper

Parmesan cheese

Toasted almonds

1) Sauté beans with olive oil to preferred tenderness.

2) Squeeze fresh lemon juice over the top.

3) Serve topped with parmesan or toasted almonds.

Honeycrisp apples

Brimming bags of the crisp fruit fill vendor Chris Carper’s table, enticing market-goers to bring home a bag. Fenten’s favorite fresh apple recipe is apple cake loaded with cinnamon and fresh whipped cream.

Apple cake and cream

(recommended by Tina Fenten) 

Cake:

1 cup vegetable oil

2 cups sugar

3 eggs

1 ½ tsp. vanilla

2 cups flour

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. cinnamon

3 cups apples, peeled and diced

Cream: 

2 cups heavy whipping cream

4 Tbsp. powdered sugar

2 tsp. vanilla

1) Preheat oven to 350F. Grease and flour a 9x13 baking pan.

2) In a large bowl, beat together oil, sugar, eggs, and vanilla. Add dry ingredients. Beat together until well mixed. Stir in the apples.

3) Pour cake batter into prepared baking dish. Bake for 55-60 minutes. Allow to cool.

4) Cream: whish cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla until peaks form and whipped cream consistency reached. Do not over whisk. 

5) Top with whipped cream, garnish with cinnamon is desired, and enjoy.

Melons

Fresh watermelons and cantaloupes could be found at multiple vendors as the in-season fruit attracts those looking to hold on to a bit more of summer. Fresh slices or cubes make sweet after-school snacks or brunch additions. Gjesdal loves to eat watermelon and cantelope in salads and shared her recipes:

Watermelon salad

(from Kirsten Gjesdal, The Carrot Seed)

4 cups watermelon, cubed

20 leaves fresh mint, chopped

½ cup feta cheese

1/3 cup olive oil

2 limes, squeezed

1 tsp. salt 

Mix together and enjoy!

Cantelope salad

(from Kirsten Gjesdal)

1 cantelope, cubed

2 oz. goat cheese, chunks

3-4 slices prosciutto, torn into pieces

Salt and pepper to taste

Lightly mix together and enjoy!