Fall Delights

Leeks are a refined onion - great in creamy soups, or baked dishes like gratins or quiche. Try them in any recipe that calls for onions. Ken likes to make cream soups. I like leeks fried in onions and added to meats, soups, even grilled cheese sandwiches.

The cleaning of a leek is easy once you know how. Cut them lengthwise and rinse under running water.


Celery root or celeriac is a European favorite. The root is the wonderful flavor of celery stalks without any of the strings! I think it is unusual here because quite frankly it is one of the ugliest looking vegetables we grow! Once peeled, it is ready for use.I clean it, store it in a bag in the refrigerator and cut off chunks as needed. The root is good raw in salads, slaws, or as vegetable dipping sticks. Cooked celeriac is marvelous in soup or stew, baked in gratin or casseroles. Anywhere you would like a bit of celery flavor add a chunk of celeriac.


Rutabagas are quite popular in Sweden - where rotabagge means baggy root. They are part of the brassica family - cabbage family or cruciferous vegetables thought to prevent cancer. Like celeriac, I peel and add chunks as needed.

Rutabagas are great boiled and mashed with potatoes and carrots. They are tasty in soups and stews. Many people like them raw in salads or grated in slaws with celeriac and carrots and daikon radish. They are a nice addition to roasted vegetables with meats or baked vegetables. In the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, people make Pasties, pastry filled with vegetables and meat, and the vegetables usually include rutabagas.