Market Report: Carve out space for more than pumpkins

Counting down the farmers market days with late-season finds.

Dave Bangert

Oct 01, 2025

Thanks also for ongoing support from Based in Lafayette sponsor Long Center for the Performing Arts in downtown Lafayette. For tickets and details on all the shows and events, go to longpac.org.

Now, here’s the …

By Carol Bangert / For Based in Lafayette

Late summer and winter squashes are lining farmers market stalls right now, and I am here for it. If you love cucurbits – squashes, pumpkins, gourds – now’s the time to stock up on these in-season autumn staples. From everyone’s favorite, pumpkins, to the more “exotic” patty pan, delicata, butternut, spaghetti and acorn squash varieties, farmers are dialed in and finishing the market season with a bang. Even if you’re a cucurbit newbie or skeptic, I’d recommend hitting the farmers markets now to get in-peak flavors and textures.

Let’s start with pumpkins – not the giant ones you carve to look like your dog, but adorable pie/sugar pumpkins, grown for that very reason: to use in pies and other fall baking items. At Wabash & Riley, Kathy Riley-Beck has a great assortment of pie pumpkins, and Riley-Beck offers a few suggestions for prepping those pretty pumpkins for pies. She’ll often bake the pumpkins whole, then scoop out the seeds and use the pulp. Another option is to cut the pumpkin in half, dig out the seeds, then bake them in a pan with a bit of water. I’ve tried both methods and can attest that both work well and result in a lovely orange pulp ready for pies, muffins and even savory items. I love pureed pumpkin in a chili with black beans and turkey or added to a cheesy sauce for pasta. Pumpkin puree freezes well and can be a fresh addition to a recipe long after the last pumpkin is picked from the patch.

Actually, all winter squashes freeze well, and I’ll have a freezer full of them in a few weeks. I especially like spaghetti squash, which I’ve touched on before, for its versatility in casseroles and as a simple side dish, but also as a pasta substitute. When roasted, spaghetti squash is slightly crunchy but still buttery and sweet.

Butternut and acorn squashes have similar applications and a mellow taste that eagerly takes on flavors both sweet and savory. In my family, if I have the audacity to serve squash as a side dish, I doll it up with butter and brown sugar or maple syrup to make it less objectionable. But my preference is to use peeled, cubed butternut and acorn squashes in savory casseroles or stews, or as an accompaniment to a protein. They play well with herbs like sage, oregano, thyme and rosemary, and with spices such as smoked paprika, chili, garlic and cumin. And don’t get me started on the cheese possibilities! From parm to fontina and Havarti, squashes and cheese make an unbeatable tag team. You’ll find myriad recipes online to get you as excited about cucurbits as I am.

Farmers market vendors are growing two tasty squashes that may be flying under your radar – delicata and patty pan. Delicata are smallish, striped and can be eaten skin and all. Try delicata sliced and roasted with gorgonzola butter (basically butter with a bit of gorgonzola stirred in) and sprinkled with toasted walnuts or pecans. This is a meal in my book!

Patty pan look like little hats (maybe that’s just me), with scalloped edges and a pretty yellow hue. I usually buy small patty pan and roast slices with garlic, oil, salt and pepper. Bear Fruit Farm is selling a slightly larger version, and Chad Scott suggests scooping out the pulp, then roasting the squash stuffed with the pulp and other savory ingredients. That is definitely on my to-do list.

All of these cucurbit varieties can be stored in a cool (not the fridge), dry and dark spot with good airflow for a month or more.

Our farmers markets are teeming with gorgeous gourds, squashes and pumpkins. I hope you’ll make room for them at your autumn table.

Next week: The final edition of Market Report of the season, with a look at locally grown apples, pears and chestnuts.

Early October fruits and vegetables at the market include:

Cucumbers
Onions (red, yellow, shallots, cipollini)
Garlic
Select greens
Green beans
Herbs
Carrots
Okra
Peppers: Sweet and hot varieties
Potatoes (new and russet)
Eggplant
Zucchini, zucchini blossoms, summer squash and other squash varieties
Tomatoes of all shapes and sizes
Raspberries, blackberries, blueberries
Apples, pears, the last of peaches, nectarines, apricots
Watermelon
Winter squashes and pumpkins

DAYS/HOURS FOR THE MARKETS

West Lafayette Farmers Market: 3:30-7:30 p.m. Wednesdays, through October. This year marks the 20th anniversary of the West Lafayette market. The market is held at Cumberland Park in West Lafayette with more than 50 vendors.

Lafayette Farmers Market: 8 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Saturdays, through October, on Fifth Street between Columbia Street and mid-block to Ferry Street, and Main Street between Fourth and Sixth streets.

Purdue Farmers Market: 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Thursdays, through October. The Purdue Farmers Market is held on the Memorial Mall on Purdue’s campus. This market is a concession-heavy market that allows students, faculty and staff to have lunch options in a unique outdoor setting.

Carol Bangert, editor of Greater Lafayette Magazine, has been a regular at Greater Lafayette farmers markets for more than 20 years. From May through October, she’ll scout out in-season produce at the markets and report back on fresh finds and how to use them.

Thanks, again, for support from the Long Center for the Performing Arts in downtown Lafayette. For tickets and details on all the shows and events, go to longpac.org.