In season: winter squash

10:30 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 31: Doggy Costume Contest and Parade and hard cider tasting. Decatur Farmers Market, Decatur. www.facebook.com/events/1689338304615844

11 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 31: Dog Costume Contest. Green Market at Piedmont Park, Atlanta. www.piedmontpark.org/programs/green_market.html

11 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 31: Halloween Parade for people and their pups. Peachtree Road Farmers Market, Atlanta. www.peachtreeroadfarmersmarket.com

9 a.m. – 1 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 1: Dia de Los Muertos. Grant Park Farmers Market, Atlanta. www.grantparkmarket.org

Cooking demos:

10 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 31: Chef Jason Paolini of Resurgens Hospitality Group. Peachtree Road Farmers Market, Atlanta. www.peachtreeroadfarmersmarket.com

Many markets offer chef demos on an occasional or regular basis. Check your market’s website or Facebook page for more information.

FOR SALE

Just coming into season: Jerusalem artichokes, jicama, mustard greens, pea shoots, sorrel

Vegetables: apples, arugula, Asian greens, Asian pears, beets, carrots, chanterelles, chard, chestnuts, collards, cucumbers, eggplant, escarole, field peas, frisee, garlic, ginger, green beans and pole beans, green onions, grits, herbs, kale, leeks, lettuce, Malabar spinach, muscadines, mushrooms, Napa cabbage, okra, onions, pecans, peppers, popcorn, potatoes, radishes, roselle, spaghetti squash, summer squash, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, turmeric, turnips and greens, winter squash

— From local reports

Once upon a time, a wagon load of winter squash sat waiting for customers at Art of Landscape garden center in Fayetteville. One by one, all the squash except a few found homes. Kim Bean of what is unofficially called “Bean Farm” was one of the employees at the garden center, and when the owners told the employees to pick a squash to take home, Bean chose a pink “Cinderella” pumpkin and planned to enjoy it for dinner.

“I picked that squash because it was edible and intended to cook it. But I didn’t and it ended up in my compost pile. Then first thing this spring I noticed the squash had sprouted. I transplanted those seedlings from the compost pile to a raised bed,” said Bean.

Those squash plants grew until they took over a 55-by-50-foot area in her garden.

“Those vines were beautiful and they kept growing and growing. In June, I got my first squash, a small orange squash called red kuri. I cut that first one open and it made for a delicious dinner. From that vine, I harvested 50 pounds of squash. I thought it was really interesting, an orange squash from that pink parent, so I went online to identify the species.”

As the other vines started bearing fruit she found that some were butternuts, others were orange Cinderella pumpkins and some were blue Jarrahdale pumpkins similar in shape to the one she brought home. “Based on these variations I was able to determine the species, ‘Cucurbita moschata x maxima,’ a hybrid of Hubbard-type and butternut-type. I then traced the source of the original pumpkin to Hammond’s Produce at the (Atlanta) Farmer’s Market (in Forest Park). One of the owners, Kimmy Hammond, grows dozens of varieties of squash in Michigan to wholesale in Atlanta each fall. I had the opportunity to … purchase a few interesting squash to save seed for next year.”

All of this is particularly fascinating for Bean because she has a passion for saving seed. She’s a member of Seed Savers Exchange and is registered as Peachtree City Seed Savers. A graduate of the University of Georgia with a degree in botany, she went to graduate school where she studied medicinal chemistry and plant-based medicine. Now she’s working on her doctoral thesis and thought this would be a good time to start an organic farm and learn what it’s like to be a farmer, growing and harvesting crops.

Bean broke ground last April on a quarter-acre of land in Fayetteville for her first year of farming. She sells her produce at the Peachtree City Farmers Market on Wednesdays and Saturdays.

“You don’t become a farmer overnight and you can’t learn by textbook. I work for two farmers two days a week, go to the farmers markets another two days and spend the remaining three days in the week working on my own farm,” she says.

One of the many things she’s learned is how many bugs love squash. Squash bugs, vine borers, all have taken their toll, and she’s worked to control them all organically. “It’s really difficult to grow winter squash in the South because there’s so much pressure from the insects. But I got 250 pounds of squash from the five plants that came from that one pumpkin, so that was pretty good.”

Bean says her customers really enjoy winter squash. “It keeps well and it’s high in nutritional values. And it’s so versatile. You can roast it, make soup, make pies or even grill it. I tell people to buy it when they see it at the market, then cook it and save the cooked pulp in freezer bags. That way you can bake fresh pumpkin pie in January.”

Matt Adolfi’s Roasted Hubbard Squash Soup

Matt Adolfi is chef-in-residence at Serenbe in Chattahoochee Hills. One of his pleasant duties is hosting cooking classes featuring produce from Serenbe Farm. He created this recipe for Hubbard squash and noted, “This squash has a dense orange flesh that has a rich flavor of pumpkin. This soup is made by roasting the squash to concentrate the flavors that we look forward to in the fall months.”

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

3 large cloves garlic

1 tablespoon coriander seeds

1 1/2 teaspoons fennel seeds

1 (5-1/2 to 6-pound) Hubbard squash, halved lengthwise and seeded

1/2 cup Georgia pecans

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided

Pinch cayenne pepper

Pinch granulated sugar

Salt

1 large leek, white and light-green parts only, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced crosswise (about 2 cups)

2 medium carrots, peeled and cut into small dice (about 1 1/2 cups)

5 cups low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth

1 bay leaf

2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

Freshly ground black pepper

1 cup creme fraiche (or sour cream)

1 teaspoon curry powder

1/2 teaspoon light brown sugar

Zest of 1 lime

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a heavy-duty rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a mortar and pestle or in the jar of a blender, grind oil, garlic, coriander seeds, and fennel seeds until they resemble a coarse paste. Rub the spice mixture on the flesh of the squash halves. Set squash halves cut side up on the sheet pan and roast until tender when pierced with a fork, an hour to an hour and a half depending on the thickness of the squash. When cool enough to handle, scrape the flesh away from the rind. Reserve flesh and discard rind.

Reduce oven heat to 350 degrees.

Arrange pecans on a rimmed baking sheet and toast until lightly golden brown, about 5 minutes. Remove from oven and in a small bowl, toss hot pecans with 1 tablespoon butter, cayenne pepper and sugar. Add salt to taste. Set aside.

When squash comes out of the oven, in a large saucepan, melt remaining 2 tablespoons butter over medium heat. Add leek, carrots, and a big pinch of salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until the leek is softened, about 10 minutes. Add roasted squash flesh, broth, bay leaf and 1 teaspoon salt and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat so mixture just simmers, cover and cook for 30 minutes. Remove bay leaf and allow the soup to cool slightly. Using an immersion blender, puree soup. Or carefully puree in the jar of a blender. If using a blender, return soup to pan and add the lemon juice. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

While soup is cooking, make curry-lime creme fraiche: in a small bowl, stir together creme fraiche, curry powder, brown sugar and lime zest. Season to taste with salt and refrigerate until needed.

When soup is ready, divide between serving bowl and top with cold curry-lime creme fraiche and garnish with pecans. Drizzle with olive oil and serve immediately. Makes: 12 cups

Per 1-cup serving: 249 calories (percent of calories from fat, 54), 10 grams protein, 23 grams carbohydrates, 1 gram fiber, 17 grams fat (6 grams saturated), 26 milligrams cholesterol, 147 milligrams sodium.