Maximize Your Garden's Fall Harvest: Nutrient-Rich Foods to Try

One of the great joys of summer is perusing the farmer’s market and planning your meals based on what fruits and vegetables are in season. Spring is full of all kinds of sprouts and greens. As we move into summer, we start seeing strawberries and asparagus. When summer hits, it seems as if everything is available, including green beans, cucumbers, tomatoes, beets, carrots, peppers, raspberries, and blueberries. 

Fall harvest brings us pumpkins, squash, cauliflower, broccoli, potatoes, and so many more greens: kale, Swiss chard, spinach, collard greens, and many varieties of lettuce. If you’re lucky and the weather is just right, you might even see an abundance of produce that benefits from warm days or cool days, heavy rain, or drought. 

Are you working in your own garden rather than counting on the grocery store or farmer’s market?  

You can manipulate your backyard garden to create a bumper crop of your own. If you’re not familiar with a bumper crop, think of the last time you planted ten tomato plants only to have so many tomatoes at harvest that you were begging your friends to take them off your hands. Some fruits and vegetables (like strawberries) commonly produce a meager harvest for the rookie gardener.  

But some plants, like potatoes, can provide great rewards if you care for them properly. Well-fertilized soil and regular watering will produce several months’ worth of potatoes, which store well in a cool, dark corner of the basement. Potatoes are a great Low FODMAP food option you can serve up all year round.

Personally, I adore the versatility of a good tomato. You can create your own spaghetti or marinara sauce to avoid the extra sweeteners from store-bought processed brands. Marinara sauce can be served with bread, chicken, breakfast potatoes, homemade pesto, or turned into chili or soup. You can also pick your tomatoes at their tart green stage for a delicious fried green tomato appetizer.  

To encourage a healthy tomato harvest, give your plants plenty of sunlight, consistent watering, and appropriate support as they grow. Depending on the variety, pruning excess foliage may help improve airflow, but avoid routinely removing flowers since these develop into tomatoes. Try your hand at fresh salsa, which is just as delicious canned as it is fresh.

Watermelon offers many health benefits, including important antioxidants such as vitamin C and lycopene. It’s easily puréed or frozen for popsicles, smoothies, and gazpacho. Cut up the watermelon and pass it out to friends and family. With well-amended soil formed into hills, watermelons will thrive. The hill provides the necessary drainage for the plant as well as support for its sprawling vines. Just like everything else in the garden, watermelon needs to be watered on a regular basis. 

And, yes, you can eat the rind of a watermelon. For a little extra fiber, add the rind to your morning smoothie. Or pickle it and add it to your charcuterie board to impress your guests. If the pickling is a bit too sour, you can also candy the rind. 

If you're making candied watermelon rind, cane sugar or pure maple syrup may be suitable sweetener options for people following a Low FODMAP diet. Honey and high-fructose corn syrup may contribute excess fructose, depending on the amount used. Always consider your individual tolerance and serving size. 

I have written to you about the many ways to improve a good salad. The fall harvest brings even more options for greens. Did you know kale doesn’t have to be tough?! We commonly see Winterbor (or curly) kale in supermarkets and grocery stores. This is a hardy and tough vegetable that withstands cooking as well as some rough handling. 

I like to pull off the rinsed leaves, tear them into a big bowl, and massage my salad dressing into them. How long should you massage the leaves? Keep going until your forearms “shout” at you. You may ask why the heck we want to eat this stuff if it requires “pre-chewing” before we even put it on the table. For our health, of course! Our bodies benefit from all kale has to offer.

From my experience reviewing daily food journals, Americans DO NOT eat enough fiber. Fiber helps us feel full longer and keeps our bowels moving well. Kale provides dietary fiber, vitamins A, C, and K, and smaller amounts of plant-based protein. It's versatile, relatively affordable, and a wonderful addition to fall meals. It’s easy to grow and cheap to purchase. That sounds like a vegetable worth trying! But the curly, Winterbor kale isn’t the only type available. I was introduced to Madeley kale this year when visiting my brother-in-law’s spectacular home garden. 

Madeley kale is softer and requires less prep because it stays tender, even in mature plants. If you don’t have strong forearms or don’t want to work as hard for your dinner, try the softer Madeley kale in your garden. You can also buy varieties of “baby” kale in grocery stores, which also have a softer texture. You can add this softer kale to a sandwich or tear it into bite-size pieces for a quick tossed salad.  

From potatoes to kale, fall harvest provides some great options to fill your plate with nutrient-rich vegetables and fruits.

Fall vegetables such as kale, carrots, broccoli, winter squash, and Brussels sprouts provide a variety of vitamins, minerals, fiber, and plant compounds. Leafy greens are particularly rich in vitamin K, while orange vegetables provide carotenoids, including beta-carotene. Eating a variety of seasonal vegetables can help support overall nutrition and digestive health.

For some people, yes! Cooking softens plant tissues and can make certain vegetables easier to chew and tolerate. Roasting, steaming, or simmering fall vegetables may be helpful for individuals who experience bloating or digestive discomfort with raw produce. However, cooking doesn't necessarily eliminate FODMAPs, so ingredient choices and serving sizes still matter for people managing IBS.

Several fall harvest foods, including potatoes, carrots, and certain leafy greens, can fit into a Low FODMAP diet. However, suitability depends on the specific food and serving size. For example, watermelon contains excess fructose and other FODMAPs that may contribute to IBS symptoms. Check current Monash University guidance when planning meals during the elimination phase.

Freezing, drying, and properly canning produce are great ways to enjoy your harvest beyond the growing season. You can blanch and freeze leafy greens, and freeze or can tomatoes using tested food-preservation recipes. Store potatoes in a cool, dark, well-ventilated area, and discard any that develop extensive green coloring or sprouts.