by Lisa Moeller

Created on: September 01, 2009   Last Updated: March 08, 2012

Being a native Floridian, I count the days until the hot, humid summers fade taking with them the sensation of having a steaming, wet, wool washcloth placed over my face each time I venture outside. Fall, with its light, cool breezes and golden afternoon light brings a peace to me that I cannot find even on the best massage table. On top of all that, it's comfort food season. In Florida, sometimes the only way to know the seasons have changed is by checking out the produce aisle.

They're coming. I can almost taste them now. I can imagine the smells of curry, cinnamon, and allspice wafting from a variety of fall vegetables and fruits on a bountiful table. Butternut, acorn, spaghetti, all delicious with your choice of sweet brown sugar or if you prefer, spicy curry or simple salt and pepper. Chameleons, squash can be soup, side dish, or it can co-habitate harmoniously in a casserole or stew. If you love squash as much as I do, it is a perfectly healthy, satisfying meal all on its own. Butter, the real stuff, is a must. Serve spaghetti squash in place of pasta and drown it in lentil spaghetti sauce http://vegweb.com/index.php?topic=12008.0.

Pumpkin is so much more than a delicious smelling jack-o-lantern. Transform it into soup, pumpkin cheesecake, souffle, and lest we forget, good old pumpkin pie topped with real, homemade almond whipped cream. Don't forget to toast the seeds tossed in butter and salt on a shallow pan in a hot oven. http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Toasted-Pumpkin-Seeds-2 /Detail.aspx

Sweet potatoes baked, boiled, or fried in strips or chips. Ever tried sweet potato pie? Crown it with some of the aforementioned whipped cream and have at it. Or, get down to the roots this fall with turnips, rutabagas, and beets. Try them chopped, cubed, baked, boiled or pickled, they add earthy flavor, color and texture to your favorite soups, casseroles, and salads.

Those miniature cabbages, Brussels sprouts, the "black sheep" of the vegetable family for many who simply haven't tried them in ways other than boiled to mush, are absolutely delicious baked in a casserole dish with oranges and walnuts, two fall buddies. http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Browned-Brussels-Sprout s-with-Orange-and-Walnuts/Detail.aspx

Fall wouldn't be the same without the fruits of the season. Apples abound, showing up in pies, stews, sauces, and covered in a sticky red blanket impaled on a stick. Dice them into your Thanksgiving stuffing. Core them and refill with butter, cinnamon, nuts and raisins

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