Ah, Autumn! The joyous season of the harvest, for us green-thumbed folk. However, this season of warmth and coziness isn’t without its tribulations for growers.

For many of us, one of the most difficult parts of being a gardener is figuring out how to use up our season’s harvest in a satisfying and sustainable way. You’d hate to see any part of your crop go to waste (after all, you’ve spent the better part of the year cultivating these vegetables!), and there is only so much zucchini you can give to your friends and neighbors before it becomes more of a burden than a gift, if you catch my drift. 

Fortunately, we at Northern Gardener® magazine have got you covered: Alongside our Tool Shed articles on vegetable preservation, recipes, and other seasonal tips and tricks from throughout the years, our staff have gathered together a collection of our absolute favorite veggie-forwards cookbooks and recipes to help you prevent any of your hard-earned harvest from ending up in the compost.

Our Favorite Cookbooks for Gardeners:

‘Home is Where the Eggs Are‘ by Molly Yeh

Favorite recipe: matbucha dipping sauce

‘This book brings me back to growing up in rural Minnesota and eating some of the most delicious, hearty meals after a long day of working on our neighbors’ farms. Molly brings her unique, multicultural background to farmyard cooking up in East Grand Forks—near where I spent my college years—and her recipe for matbucha dipping sauce is the ultimate comfort food. It features some staples from the garden like tomatoes, garlic, and roasted red peppers along with sweet paprika, which we featured recently in our Summer issue.’

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erik Bergstrom

Marketing Manager + Digital Strategist

‘Minnesota Homegrown Cookbook‘ by Renewing the Countryside

Favorite recipe: Wild Mushroom Tomato Bisque from The Angry Trout Café

‘One of my all-time favorite recipes is the Wild Mushroom Tomato Bisque from Angry Trout Café in Grand Marais. This cozy, flavorful soup layers leeks, shallots, celery, dill, shiitakes, and tomatoes into something absolutely delicious. I love that it comes from a restaurant known for its sustainable practices and stunning North Shore views. The cookbook itself was created by one of our favorite local organizations, Renewing the Countryside. There’s something special about the depth and comfort that comes from cooking with local ingredients.

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Lara Lau-Schommer

Executive Director of Northern Gardener

‘The Art of Simple Food’ by Alice Waters

Favorite recipe: leek and potato soup

‘When cooking a recipe made with local, fresh, seasonal ingredients, it usually doesn’t need much to be delicious! In this cookbook, Alice Waters gives you all the necessities you need to pack your pantry full of staples, how to use the ingredients that are locally available to you, and how to do all of this with sustainability and community in mind. You really can’t go wrong with any of her recipes but, I particularly love her strawberry ice cream, leek and potato soup, tabbouleh salad, and panna cotta (topped with whatever local fruit is available!)’

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Anna Marhefke

Programs and Outreach Manager

Small-Scale Homesteading: by Stephanie Thurow and Michelle Bruhn

Favorite recipe: quick pickled onions

‘As someone who can burn toast, I appreciate an easy recipe that requires a manageable ingredient list, just a couple minutes, no canning and serves up all the flavor. The icing on the cake? Pickled onions add zip and are delicious on (almost) everything.‘

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Rebecca Swee

Lead content creator + Northern Gardener magazine editor

‘Moosewood Cookbook’ by Molly Katzen

Favorite recipe: minestrone soup

‘A must-have for any gardener or home cook, This oldie-but-goodie is a fan-favorite of many for the veggie-forward recipes, quaint design, and reliably delicious roster of meals included! Buy this cookbook, and you won’t have any problem using up the season’s harvest of garden vegetables. A favorite recipe of mine from this cookbook is minestrone soup. It’s deeply hearty and nourishes the body and soul, it’s also great for freezing and reheating later!’

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Netanya Sadoff

 Education and Marketing Support Intern

Time to get cookin’!

Please share with us your own favorite autumnal cookbooks and harvest season hacks in the comments!

 Netanya Sadoff is a bold young writer and science educator with a passion for all things gardening. A lifelong plant enthusiast, Netanya is delighted to contribute to Northern Gardener as their the Education + Marketing Support Intern since June 2025.

Follow them on instagram @Netanya.rose