September is a little bit of everything in the kitchen.
Tomatoes, peppers, zucchini, and eggplant are still making their way home from gardens and farmers markets, while apples and pears are beginning to take their place on the counter. The days may still be warm, but cooler evenings have us thinking about the first soups of the season.
There’s no need to rush from one season into the next. September is a good time to enjoy what’s still abundant, preserve some of it for later, and slowly start shifting the kitchen toward fall.
Here are a few things to make, save, and prep this month.
Cook What’s Still in Season
If there’s ever a time to make Classic French Ratatouille, this is it. Tomatoes, eggplant, zucchini, and peppers come together with olive oil, garlic, and herbs in a dish that makes good use of the vegetables still filling gardens and market stands.
Serve it warm for dinner, at room temperature with crusty bread, or refrigerate the leftovers in a Le Parfait jar for an easy lunch later in the week.
Keep Tomato Season Going
Just when you thought all those green tomatoes were never going to turn, September shows up—and suddenly you have more ripe tomatoes than you know what to do with.
Instead of trying to use them all at once, save some for later. The Easiest Tomato Sauce Ever turns fresh garden ingredients into a sauce you can reach for well beyond tomato season. Or keep things simple with Preserved Tomatoes, ready to become the start of a future sauce, soup, or stew.
You don’t have to preserve an entire garden. Even a few jars now will come in handy when summer produce is long gone.
Try a Different Kind of Preserve
Not everything you put away needs to go on the pantry shelf.
Our new Pear & Ginger Fermented Soda is a fun way to bring one of the first flavors of fall into the kitchen while the weather is still warm enough for something refreshing. With a little time and fermentation, fresh pear and ginger become a lightly fizzy homemade drink.
It’s an easy project to start now and a nice change of pace from the jams, sauces, and preserves that tend to take over the kitchen this time of year.
Give the Pantry a Quick Reset
Before cooler-weather cooking really gets underway, take a few minutes to see what’s already in the pantry. Check the beans, lentils, grains, pasta, and other staples you’ll reach for in the months ahead, use up anything that’s been hanging around, and refill what’s running low.
It’s also a good time to bring a little order to open bags and packages. Glass jars keep everyday ingredients easy to see and within reach, so you know what you have before adding something else to the grocery list. Explore our jar collections to find the right fit for your pantry staples.
Get Ready for Soup Season
You may not be ready for soup every night, but September is a good time to ease back in.
A batch of Vegetable Broth gives you a head start on soups, grains, sauces, and plenty of weeknight meals. When the first genuinely cool evening does arrive, a simple Vegetable Soup with leek, carrot, and potato is just right.
Before Fall Arrives
There will be plenty of time for pumpkins and the deeper flavors of fall.
For now, cook the tomatoes while they’re still good. Make ratatouille. Start a ferment. Make broth before you actually need it.
There’s still plenty of summer left to enjoy—and just enough fall to start getting ready for it.