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Home » Seasonal Guides » Cooking with seasonal fruit: October edition

Published: Oct 15, 2020 · Modified: Jul 30, 2024 by Veronica T

Cooking with seasonal fruit: October edition

Roasted chicken and apples

Fall fruits are perfect for roasting, adding to soups, stews, and salads. They can lend a warm fall-spice sweetness or balance rich food with their tartness.

October's seasonal fruit

  • Blackberries
  • Apples & pears
  • Grapes
  • Cranberries
  • Pomegranate
  • Figs

Cooking with seasonal produce (and accounting for cooler weather) lets us get creative, making some truly outstanding food. I've compiled some ideas to inspire you this month.

The practical produce guide: October

Make the most of the season's last blackberries with perfect fall recipes

Blackberries are tart, which adds brightness to a lot of richer, autumn dishes. The tart (and sometimes slightly bitter) flavor pairs well with roasted meats & veggies and cuts through the fattiness of cheese & butter.

Blackberry basil pizza slices
Blackberry basil pizza
Pork sliders with blackberry bbq sauce and Herbs de Provence - recipe by Home & Plate
Pork sliders with blackberry bbq sauce
Sweet potato cakes with blackberry salsa by How Sweet It Is
Sweet potato cakes with blackberry salsa
Blackberry balsamic chicken with fired goat cheese by Closet Cooking
Blackberry balsamic chicken with fired goat cheese
Pork tenderloin with blackberry mint port sauce by Nutmeg Nanny
Pork tenderloin with blackberry mint port sauce

Add apples & pears to dinner

Apples and pears are pretty interchangeable in recipes from soup to salad. Use them to:

  • Add a touch of sweetness to soups, and work especially well when pureed into winter squash soups
  • Roast alongside a tray of veggies (and precooked sausage for a really fast dinner)
  • Add to salads (along with cranberries or pomegranate too)
  • You can even add them to pasta (along with some bacon)
Baked apple cider donuts with fresh apples on a table
Baked apple cider donuts recipe
Caramel apples with toppings on a wooden board
How to make caramel apples
A plate of salad with arugula, green apples, walnuts, and chickpeas.
Fall apple salad with walnuts & cinnamon-roasted chickpeas
Apple chips and apples on a table
How to make apple chips
Cinnamon & brown sugar applesauce
Cinnamon & brown sugar applesauce
Chicken harvest salad with bacon, apples, figs, and almonds by Damn Delicious
Chicken harvest salad with bacon, apples, figs, and almonds
Baked apple-stuffed pork chops by A Spicy Perspective
Baked apple-stuffed pork chops
Crispy chicken sandwich with cabbage-apple slaw, recipe by Nutmeg Nanny
Crispy chicken sandwich with cabbage-apple slaw
Cinnamon apple swirl bread by Broma Bakery
Cinnamon apple swirl bread
Spiced Honeycrisp apple fritters with vanilla coffee glaze, recipe by Half Baked Harvest
Spiced Honeycrisp apple fritters with vanilla coffee glaze
Mulled pomegranate cider poached pears and ice cream, recipe by Snixy Kitchen
Mulled pomegranate cider poached pears
Salad with pear, bacon, and brussels sprouts, by Cooking Classy
Pear, bacon, and brussels sprouts salad
Rye bread sandwich with pears and prosciutto. Recipe by Foxes Love Lemons.
Pear & prosciutto sandwich
Waldorf chicken salad with pears. Recipe by Jo Cooks.
Waldorf chicken salad with pears
Pear muffins topped with hazelnuts, by the Smitten Kitchen
Pear and hazelnut muffins
Korean BBQ bowls by Pinch of Yum
Korean BBQ bowls

Roasted grapes are the best way to enjoy fall cooking

If you haven't roasted grapes yet, you are in for a treat. They go with darn near everything, if you want my opinion 😉 Try roasting grapes with:

  • A roasted chicken
  • A steak salad
  • Sweet potatoes
  • Add as a crostini topping
Sweet potatoes with roasted grapes & honey
Sweet potatoes with roasted grapes & honey
Chicken with roasted grapes
Roasted chicken with grapes
Roasted grape sweet potatoes by How Sweet Eats
Roasted sweet potatoes with grapes and honey
Roasted grape balsamic crostini
Steak Salad for dinner recipe: Steak salad with farro and roasted grapes.
Steak salad for dinner with farro and roasted grapes

Cranberries are for more than just Thanksgiving sauce

Try using fresh cranberries in unexpected ways - you might be adding them to everything before you know it 😉

Here's a few recipes to get you started.

Cranberry nut bread with toasted pecans and fresh cranberries, sliced on a table.
Cranberry nut bread with toasted pecans
A bowl of beef bourguinon with cranberries, recipe by Half Baked Harvest
Cranberry beef burgundy
A pan of apple cranberry stuffing. Recipe by Cooking Classy.
Apple cranberry stuffing
Roast turkey in cranberry sauce - recipe by Jo Cooks
Roast turkey in cranberry sauce

Add pop with pomegranate

I love pomegranate arils (seeds) - they burst with a super sweet, tart flavor. They make everything more interesting, from salads to cheesy enchiladas.

A bowl of oatmeal with figs and pomegranate arils
Pumpkin turmeric oatmeal bowl with figs & pomegranate
squash pomegranate crostini
Butternut squash & pomegranate crostini
A plate of arugula with steak and pomegranate seeds
Pomegranate steak salad from Persiana
brie baked with cranberries and pomegranate
Cranberry pomegranate baked brie
A pan filled with enchiladas
Sweet and sour pomegranate chicken enchiladas
brussels sprouts salad recipe
Brussels sprouts salad with fried goat cheese & pomegranate

Fresh figs are delicate, but worth it

Ripe, delicious figs are soft and slightly wrinkled. They don't ship well so they are hard to find. But if you do come across them, buy a few or buy a bunch, but use them fast.

  • Figs love cheese: add to a cheese tray or a salad
  • Roast with chicken or pork
  • Make into a jam and spread on steak-bites or crostini
Homemade oatmeal fig bars with fresh figs
Homemade oatmeal fig bars with fresh figs
Fresh fig banana bread with a fig syrup swirl
Banana bread with fresh fig-maple syrup swirl
Fig & dark chocolate oatmeal bars recipe by Broma Bakery
Fig & dark chocolate oatmeal bars
Chicken harvest salad with bacon, apples, figs, and almonds by Damn Delicious
Chicken harvest salad with bacon, apples, figs, and almonds
Balsamic fig-glazed pork with blistered cherry tomatoes & Gorgonzola polenta by Half Baked Harvest
Balsamic fig-glazed pork with blistered cherry tomatoes & Gorgonzola polenta
Farro bowl with kale, figs, and maple-mustard dressing recipe by Feasting At Home
Farro bowl with kale, figs, and maple-mustard dressing
Buttered mushroom, fig, and bacon galette with roasted squash by Half Baked Harvest
Buttered mushroom, fig, and bacon galette with roasted squash
Baked brie with figs & honey by The View from Great Island
Baked brie with figs & honey

Produce guides for October fruit

Learn how to pick & store all of these fruits, as well as helpful tips on using them.

  • Apple guide: includes tips on the best apples for pie, sauce, etc)
  • Pear guide: also describes the most popular varieties & their uses
  • Blackberry guide: includes Upick resources, and check out "Why blackberries are bitter & how to fix it"
  • Grape guide: talks about how harvest timing affects sweetness as well as different varieties
  • Cranberry guide: includes information about the different flavors of bright vs dark red cranberries
  • Pomegranate guide: shares a resources to learn how to seed them yourself
  • Fig guide: includes different varieties
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Roasted chicken and apples

About the Food Geek

Welcome, I'm Veronica, your resident food geek - experienced recipe developer and gardener. My goal is to help you enjoy eating at home by knowing what fruits & vegetables are currently in season and the best ways to use them. To do that, I've put together seasonal produce guides and recipes with practical advice.

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