Celebrate the end of blackberry season and the beginning of fall with this chunky vegetable soup.

Cube and boil in soup pot until almost tender in salted water or vegetable broth:

1 # potatoes

1 celeriac

While the root veggies boil….

Mince & sauté with olive oil:

2 onions

½ head garlic

Add sliced eggplant, zucchini, and carrots to the pan. Season with black pepper, paprika, thyme, and marjoram. Sauté lightly, then combine with celeriac and potato soup pot.

Coarsely chop parsley; add it when the root vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes before serving.

This is a variation of a recipe from Gourmet magazine. When Farmer John is baking bread, we steal some of the dough for pizza crust; you can use a premade crust or your favorite dough recipe. (Molly is a fan of whole wheat + blue corn)

Sauté in a large pan in olive oil: one minced onion and about 1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage (1 teaspoon if you do this later with dry sage), and salt and black pepper to taste. Wash and chop 1 bunch of arugula; when onions are translucent, add arugula and sauté briefly, until leaves are wilted but still bright green.

Spread greens and onions on large pizza crust, and top with grated cheeses: about 4 oz Fontina, 2 oz Gorgonzola, and a sprinkling of Parmesan. Bake at 425 F for 10-15 minutes (or until crust is brown and cheese is bubbly & delicious)

Antonia’s Beet Burgers

Prepare 2 cooked cups brown rice (this recipe is also good for using up leftover rice). Sauté one large shallot with salt, olive oil, one minced Serrano pepper, and half cup sunflower seeds. Grate 1 bunch beetroots – about two to three cups when grated (you can also use carrots if you have some). Mix everything together with 2 to 4 eggs (enough to make the rice, sautéed veggies and nuts, and raw grated veggies stick together and feel just a little wet/sticky to the touch. Add ½ to 1 cup garbanzo flour and ½ to 1 cup whole wheat flour as a binding agent. Shape into patties and cook at medium heat on an oiled skillet, turning until patties are brown on both sides and cooked through; you may also bake or broil the patties in the oven. This recipe makes a lot of ‘burgers’, but they last in the fridge for several days once cooked, andalso freeze well. We reheat them in the toaster oven.

Apple Stuffed Squash (based on a Mollie Katzen Recipe)

Cut your squash in half and remove the seeds, then bake face-down on an oiled tray for about 30 min at 350, or until the squash is tender.

Cook 1 to 2 cups wild or brown rice, depending upon size of squash cavity.

While rice and squash are cooking, sauté two chopped apples, one chopped onion, and ½ cup chopped walnuts until walnuts are toasted and onions are clear.

Combine cooked rice, sautéed ingredients, ¼ cup of dried currants, juice of one lemon, and about ¼ tsp of cinnamon, 1 tsp cumin, and ½ tsp coriander. Stuff the squash cavities with this mixture, return to oven, and bake for an additional 15 to 20 minutes, or until warmed through.