CORIANDER SEED
A prize for growing your own cilantro are the mini bouquets that form in the fall. As garden season comes to a close for the year, cilantro flowers mature then fade, leaving behind round seeds known as coriander. The spice is a must for pickling vegetables and adds a lemony flavor to soups and curries.
CARNIVAL SQUASH
Due to Montana’s short growing season, the smaller winter squash like Carnival are the ones we tend to find locally grown. Carnival squash are a hybrid between Acorn squash and Sweet Dumplings and their coloring is a variegated creamy yellow and orange, with some darker green patches. Cut them in half, scoop out the seeds, and simply roast with a slick of olive oil or butter. Their size also makes them ideal candidates for stuff ed squash recipes (see “Stuffed Acorn Squash” in our Winter 2022 issue).
Winter squash add autumnal beauty to your kitchen, and they happily keep and cure on the counter well into the New Year. Whenever you have something already going in the oven, consider roasting winter squash as well. This is an easy way to get the squash cooked while taking advantage of an already warm oven. Once cooked, squash can be enjoyed in so many ways, from soup to black bean and squash enchiladas to muffi ns (see “Winter Squash Molasses Muffins” in our Fall 2021 issue).
SAGE
Even if you don’t have a green thumb, I bet you can grow sage. The robust plant sprouts textured leaves all season long, providing a crop you can enjoy fresh, dried, and—most delectably—fried. Fried sage leaves are delicious to munch and their bold flavor and crispy crunch make an ideal accent to pasta with a browned butter sauce, mushroom toast, squash soup, or a bowl of white beans with shaved Parmesan and olive oil.
