Tastes of Fall

October is a commemorative month for many of our favorite fall foods.  Publications from our library collection can help you learn about growing and preparing these foods.

October is…

American Cheese Month.
Learn how to make your own with Making Soft Cheeses from the Colorado State University Extension.

Apple Month.
If you have apple trees, you can find out how to protect them from insects and diseases by reading Apple and Pear Insects, also from the CSU Extension.  Want to grow apple trees?  Check out Backyard Orchard:  Apples and Pears and Hardy Varieties of Apples for Northeastern Colorado. Need information on Colorado’s apple orchard industry?  Some publications that tell the story of Colorado’s orchards include Appraisal of the Apple Industry in the Four Corners Region (1972), Colorado Fruit Tree Survey (2002), and How Do Consumers View Apples? (2011)

Corn Month.
Best Management Practices for Colorado Corn gives you everything you need to know about growing corn in Colorado. Also, search the keyword “corn performance trials” in our library catalog for the Colorado Agricultural Experiment Station’s yearly reports on the best corn varieties.

National Chili Month.  Whip up some corn bread, sprinkle some cheese in your chili, and you’ve got three of this month’s featured foods covered.  Basic Instructions for Cooking Beans and Recipes for Dry Beans and Peas from the Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment (CDPHE) can be checked out from our library.

National Seafood Month.  Okay, so since Colorado isn’t by the sea, we don’t produce seafood…unless you count the yummy trout and other fishes available in our mountain waters. Smoking and Other Delightful Ways to Enjoy Game and Fish and the Colorado Catch Cookbook, both from the Division of Wildlife, offer many recipes and preparations.  To learn about eating fish safely, see the CDPHE’s Fish Consumption webpage.

Pizza Month.  Find out how to use pizza to teach your kids math in Pizzas, Pennies, and Pumpkin Seeds:  Mathematical Activities for Parents and Children from the Colorado Department of Education.  (By the way, October is also Family and School Partnership in Education Month.)

Sausage Month.  Back in 1942, wartime shortages called for preserving and rationing foods.  Preservation of Meats by Curing, published that year by the CSU Farm Victory Program, discusses how to make smoked sausage, among other cured and smoked meats.

Spinach Lovers’ Month.  So you’ve enjoyed all that pizza and now you’re looking for something healthier.  Learn how to grow and use spinach and other salad greens in the CSU Extension’s Salad Greens:  Health Benefits and Safe Handling and Growing Container Salad Greens.

October is also national cookbook month.  Search our library’s online catalog for some cookbooks that highlight local Colorado foods, or can provide hints for high altitude baking.