 by Barry Ballister Issue 43 (Oct/Nov 08) [Copyright © 2008, The Valley Table] Squirrels are revving up their nut search. Jays, cardinals and winter snowbirds are staking out their turf around the seed feeder. Woodpiles are building and seasoned smoke begins to perfume the new crisp autumn air. The garden yields its harvest to the cellar, the pantry and the kitchen stove. You're busy raking leaves and coiling the hose. The tools are scraped, cleaned and oiled. The garden cart is filled with compost, straw and mulch. It is definitely chores season and the time for the kitchen to come alive. Heat the oven. Roll some crust. Bring out the big pots. Turn your harvest into meals that fortify the body and glorify the garden. The roots are the colors of fall. There are bright orange carrots and deep purple beets next to russet potatoes and the glistening white bulbs of fresh leeks. The melange of garden colors creates a frisky spirit that translates into appetite and kitchen creativity. The fall garden roots are the ingredients for thick, rich soups that simmer and steam. They call out for hot bread and butter to accompany their pleasure. Humble as the roots and squashes may be on the dinner table hierarchy, imagination and love can create elegance, pleasure, nourishment and a yearning for more, please. Desserts are usually sugary, confection combos that please and delight our palates, if not our waistlines. But the Hudson Valley kitchen gardener will find many after-dinner gifts right from the fall garden. Winter squash and sweet potatoes are some of the most versatile and delicious garden yields. So, dig up your roots, chop some green and red, roll some pastry and sprinkle your seasonings generously as the first wisps of autumn reach your senses and your soul calls for hearty, delicious, memorable creations from your kitchen garden. | 
