New Cookbooks for Autumn

1. Step-by-Step Canning and Pickling

Do you have an overstocked garden full of fall vegetables or fruits that you don’t want to go to waste? Why not preserve them for another day by canning? Ball Canning Back to Basics: A Foolproof Guide to Canning Jams, Jellies, Pickles & More (Oxmoor House, 2017) gives easy-to-follow, step-by-step instructions on how to turn your fresh fruits and vegetables into 100 flavorful creations that you can enjoy any time of the year. This is a great resource for the novice canner on up to veteran canners looking to improve their techniques.

2. Delicious Desserts

With the holidays approaching, now is the time to practice making delicious desserts with seasonal fruits, vegetables and herbs. Farm-to-Table Desserts: 80 Seasonal, Organic Recipes Made from Your Local Farmers’ Market (Skyhorse, 2017) is full of simple desserts using fresh ingredients at their prime. Pastry chef Lei Shishak makes baking easy with her realm of recipes organized by the four seasons, from Peach Cobbler in spring to Strawberry Hand Pies for summer, Pear Cake for fall and Blood Orange Napoleon for winter.

3. Plant-Based Eating

No matter where you live in the world, it is the daily rituals of food that bind and connect us. Neighborhood: Hearty Salads and Plant-Based Recipes from Home and Abroad (Roost, 2017) is a collection of more than 70 delicious and simple vegetarian recipes, with beautiful images inspired by regions around the world, including Brooklyn and the Americas, the Mediterranean, France, Asia and Australia. Each recipe is sprinkled with stories, for example how the Smashed Eggplant with Lentils and Maple-Roasted Radish is known as “eggplant caviar” in Provence, France.

4. Pumpkin Power

The Pumpkin Cookbook: 139 Recipes Celebrating the Versatility of Pumpkin and Other Winter Squash (Storey, 2017) reminds us that this classic symbol of fall means so much more than jack-o’-lanterns. Packed with nutrients—including vitamins A and C, dietary fiber and potassium—pumpkin and other winter squash add color and flavor to a variety of recipes in this cookbook, from snacks and salads to soups, main dishes and desserts. Try Currant-Pumpkin-Oat Scones, Red Cabbage and Maple-Roasted Delicata Salad, Chicken-Pumpkin Tacos and Lemon Pumpkin Strudel. There are even options for seven different pies.