Rogue Vegetables:
Unusual Ways with Unusual Crops

By Terese Allen, Organic Valley Food Editor

It’s party time for vegetable lovers. As we toast to the fall harvest, we’re celebrating not just vegetable volume but the astounding variety of crops that are coming in.

Look around at the farmers’ market and you’ll see a world beyond mere peas and carrots. You’ll see uncommon vegetables like kohlrabi, kale, Swiss chard and leeks. You’ll find old favorites that are new again, like sweet potatoes and parsnips. You’ll notice not just mushrooms, but chanterelles and porcini. Not just squash, but Green-Striped Cushaws and Pink Banana squash.

Today, these aren’t oddball foods, they’re exciting potential. With ever-increasing access to the out-of-the-ordinary at farmers’ markets and grocery stores, and from CSA farms and home gardens, getting creative has never been more fun.

Recipes

Chile Cumin Butter for Winter Squash

Don’t limit yourself to acorn and butternut squash for this recipe--check out uncommon varieties like Buttercup, Delicata, and Turk’s Turban.

Chard Soup with Cream Cheese "Croutons"

An elegant and easy first-course that features the dark, leafy greens of Swiss chard.

Oven-Fried Parsnips with Horseradish Sour Cream

Thick-stemmed parsnips may look like carrots with all the color drained out of them, but they have a complex, herbaceous flavor that's mysterious in its appeal.

Sweet Potato and Chorizo Au Gratin

A rousing way to treat sweet potatoes, from chef-owner Bill Horzuesky of Bluephies restaurant in Madison, Wisconsin.

Napa Cabbage Slaw

Made with a spunky citrus dressing and strips of mild Napa cabbage, sweet spinach and bitter radicchio.

Mushroom Barley Risotto

A classic flavor combination in a new form; give it deep mushroom character with chanterelles, chicken of the woods, porcini or lobster mushrooms.

Bratwurst and Fall Vegetable Soup

Think of this soup as the minestrone of the north; it features cool-weather and winter-storage vegetables--including kohlrabi, celeriac, leeks and potatoes--and is accented with fresh dill and Organic Prairie’s own bratwurst.

Curry-Kissed Kale with Apple and Onion

An earthy trinity of fall favorites with a warming touch of curry