The pumpkin:

• 1 large yellow onion, peeled and quartered
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• One 3-pound sugar pie pumpkin
• 1 clove garlic, peeled and minced
• 1 small jalapeno pepper, halved, seeded and diced
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1 tablespoon ground turmeric
• 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, peeled and diced
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 1/2 to 2 cups chicken or vegetable broth

The yogurt sauce:

• 1 cup yogurt
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• -- Pinch salt

Puree the onion in a food processor. Heat the oil in a 14-inch saute pan or large casserole over medium heat. Add the onion and saute until tender, about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, cut the top and bottom off the pumpkin and peel it. Cut the pumpkin in half down the middle and scoop out the seeds and string. Cut the pumpkin into 1-inch-thick wedges and cut those wedges in half crosswise.

Once the onion is tender, add the garlic, jalapeno, tomato paste, turmeric, ginger, sugar, salt and 1 1/2 cups of broth. Turn the heat to high and bring to a boil, stirring frequently.

Once the mixture boils, turn the heat to low and gently press the pumpkin pieces into the onion/broth mixture so the pumpkin is tightly tucked into the pan. It's OK if the pieces overlap somewhat. Every few minutes, move the pumpkin around so all the pieces cook evenly in the sauce and the bottoms don't burn. Add more liquid if the pan gets dry.

Cook until the pumpkin is fork-tender but doesn't lose its shape (about 30 minutes).

While the pumpkin is cooking, combine the yogurt, garlic and salt in a small bowl.

To serve, spoon the yogurt over the pumpkin and pour any remaining yogurt around the outside edges of the pumpkin. Serve with warm pita or naan bread.

This recipe is adapted from one on chowhound.com

• 1 lb pears
• 5 cups water
• 2 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• A few strips of lemon zest (use a veggie peeler)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract or 1 vanilla bean, split

1.   Combine the water, sugar, lemon zest, and vanilla in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat, stirring until sugar is completely dissolved.

2.   Peel the pears, leaving the stem intact. Slice off the bottom 1/8 inch of each pear to create a flat, stable base.

3.   Reduce heat to keep poaching liquid at a bare simmer and add the pears, laying them on their sides so they are almost completely submerged [our smaller pears will probably be submerged standing up]. Cook, turning pears occasionally so they become saturated on all sides, until they are just tender when pierced with a fork, about 7 minutes.

4.   Allow pears to cool completely in their poaching liquid. Serve immediately, placed upright on the plate, or transfer pears and liquid to an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.

Based on a recipe from thekitchn.com.

4-5 ripe tomatoes, cored and quartered
1 HEAD of garlic, slivered
Olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, freshly ground
1/2 teaspoon cumin

Heat the oven to 325°F. Generously oil the bottom of a rimmed cookie sheet or lasagne pan.

Fill the pan with tomatoes, cramming as many as possible in (this helps it not to burn later on). Scatter the garlic on top and sprinkle on the spices. Drizzle with more olive oil - be generous, as it carries the flavors and makes the whole thing come together.

Bake at 325°F for about 3 hours, or until the tomatoes are very soft and there is little visible juice when you stir. I mash them around after the first hour and then every half hour thereafter.

Remove from the oven and let cool. Mash to an even consistency, if necessary. Keep refrigerated - should keep for 2 or more weeks, though you'll probably eat it all before then, or you can freeze it for later.

• 1 eggplant
• ½ cup flour
• 1 egg
• 1 cup breadcrumbs (homemade are best!)
• 1 Tbsp nutritional yeast
• 1 Tbsp Italian seasoning
• salt & pepper
• oil for frying

Peel the eggplant and slice into rounds. Salt generously and set aside on a tea towel or in a colander. Let sit for at least ½ hour, then rub off the salt.

Meanwhile, place the flour in one shallow dish (we use glass Tupperware-type dishes, but a plate with a rim would do fine); beat the egg into a second; and mix the breadcrumbs, yeast, seasoning, and salt and pepper into a third.

Dredge each piece of eggplant in flour, then egg, then in the breadcrumb mixture.

Heat a frying pan over medium heat, then add a few tablespoons of oil. Fry a few slices at a time so you don’t crowd the pan, frying each side until golden brown.

Extras can be frozen and then reheated in a toaster oven. Yum!

Steam your cabbage for 3-4 minutes. When cool, pull off 8-10 outer leaves. These will be your wrappers. Trim out the bottom of the stalk if it is tough.

Brown 1 lb ground pork, & remove from pan. Dice a small onion and a few garlic cloves (or scapes!) and cook in the pan drippings until soft. Slice a few mushrooms (shiitakes are especially nice) and scallions. Chop finely the rest of the cabbage. Mix it all together. Add a glug of sesame oil and soy sauce. Chinese rice wine or hoisin sauce would also be good additions.

Place a scoop of filling on each leaf, fold in two sides, then roll up. Can be eaten room temp or put in a covered casserole dish and warmed in a 350º oven for 10 minutes or so.

Wash 6-8 cucumbers. Slice thinly with a food processor. Peel and slice thinly a medium onion. Measure out 2 quarts of sliced cucumbers. Mix with onions and 2 tablespoons of salt in a large bowl. Let stand 2 hours.

Drain vegetables well. Rinse thoroughly with cold water. Drain well again. Return drained vegetables to the rinsed bowl. And 2/3 cup each oil, vinegar, and sugar [we use half sesame oil, half olive oil and only 1/3 cup sugar]. Add 1 teaspoon celery seed. Mix well.

Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Pack in freezer jars or containers. Leave 1-inch headspace. Freeze.

To defrost, place in refrigerator overnight.

For one quart:

Sea Salt (non-iodized)
1 lb Napa cabbage, chopped
1 daikon radish, sliced
1 or 2 carrots, sliced
1 or 2 onions and/or some scallions
3-4 cloves garlic, chopped
3-4 hot chiles (or to taste)
3 Tbsp fresh grated ginger

1.      Mix a brine of 4 cups water and 4 tablespoons salt. Stir to dissolve salt.

2.      Soak the veggies in the brine, covered with a plate or weight to keep them submerged, a few hours or overnight, until soft.

3.      Mix the spices into a paste.

4.      Drain and reserve the brine. Taste the vegetables for saltiness – you want them to taste decidedly salty, but not unpleasantly so. If they are too salty, rinse them. If you cannot taste salt, add a couple teaspoons and mix.

5.      Mix the vegetables with the spice paste. Mix everything together and stuff into a clean quart-sized jar. Pack tightly, pressing down until brine rises. If necessary, add a little reserved brine to submerge the vegetables. Weigh the vegetables down with another jar or zip-lock bag, and cover with a clean cloth to keep out flies and dust.

6.     Ferment in a warm place, checking every day. When it reaches your desired level of sourness, put in the fridge. It should keep for at least a month, but will get softer and more sour.

- 1 pint tomatillos, husked and quartered
- 1/2 onion, peeled and roughly chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled
- 1 bunch cilantro, long stems removed
- 1 or 2 hot peppers, chopped (if you like hot peppers, that is!)
- salt
- lime juice

Blend it all together in a food processor, or chop finely. Adjust seasoning to taste – the tomatillos are pretty tart, so you may not need much (or any!) lime juice.

Pre-heat your oven to 350º. Slice as many beets as you’d like as thinly as you can. Toss with olive oil to coat and salt & pepper to taste.

Place beet slices in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet.

Cook in the oven about 10 minutes, then flip all the pieces over. Continue cooking until crisp. Cooking time will vary considerably based on how thinly you cut the pieces, so keep a close eye on them.

Preheat the oven to 375•.

Chop veggies into approximately 1 inch chunks. Potatoes, beets, carrots, parsnip, celeriac, rutabaga… Brussels sprouts, peeled garlic cloves, chunks of onion… Chopped bacon or slices of sausage (the lamb sausage from Duclos & Thompson is especially good). What else can you think of?

Toss with olive oil, sea salt, and spices if you like. Caraway and whole cumin are some of our favorites. Sprigs of rosemary are good if you have some, but bury them under the veggies so they don’t burn.

Spread into an even layer in an ovenproof dish. Cast iron pans are good for smaller batches; lasagna pans good for big ones.

Cover the pan with tinfoil. Roast until tender, stirring occasionally if you think of it. How long will depend on the veggies and how small you cut them; start testing after 25 minutes or so. Beets tend to take the longest.

Enjoy!