Seasonal Veggies

Now with fall in full swing, I've had to change my produce shopping habits from the summery vegetables and fruits and the local farmers market to more fall produce: pumpkins, sweet potatoes, and squash.

Over the weekend, I went to a local restaurant who was serving up baked sweet potatoes with cinnamon butter and acorn squash. Having never tried acorn squash before, I gave it a whirl. What have I been missing out on all these years?! Last year, I had this same epiphany with spaghetti squash. In my mind, all squash must taste the same as yellow squash - just in different shapes. Boy, was I wrong!

Here are some popular squash varieties this time of year:

• The aforementioned acorn squash - similar in shape to an acorn with a green exterior. They run between 1 and 3 pounds, and can be sliced in half and baked (and subsequently drowned in butter, ala Paula Deen)
• The also-aforementioned spaghetti squash - yellow and oblong, these run between 2-5 pounds. When you bake and then run your fork through it, the squash literally pulls off in strings. I was a skeptic at how this would be texture-wise and taste-wise, but I was put in my place after making just 1. Use in place of pasta.
• Butternut squash - This pear-shaped squash runs between 2-5 pounds and is a pale yellow color. I've only tasted this in soups, but I'm thinking of picking some up on my next store to the market as I've been told it tastes similar to one of my favorite foods: sweet potatoes.

What other seasonal veggies am I missing? Any suggestions or recipes?