The calendar says September, but grocery store shelves are laden with pumpkin spice, and the thermometer proves the hot weather isn’t finished yet. Welcome to the in-between season, when fall cravings arrive long before cooler weather does. Discover how to bridge summer and fall with simple cooking adjustments that make the most of both seasons.
It’s not your imagination
If September feels more like summer than fall, there may be a good reason. Labor Day, often considered the unofficial end of summer, falls on Sept. 7 this year. It’s the latest possible date. With summer festivities stretching further into the calendar, the transition to fall may feel especially slow.
The trend could be especially noticeable this year. The NOAA Climate Prediction Center favors above-normal September temperatures across the West, southern Plains and Southeast, with the strongest odds in parts of the Rockies and Intermountain West.
Retail’s role
Retailers add to the seasonal confusion by ushering in fall while summer is still going strong. Pumpkin spice drinks, Halloween candy and autumn decor increasingly arrive in stores weeks before the season officially changes.
Lilly Jan, a food and beverage management expert at Cornell University, says seasonal products can indicate that it is time to move on. “For many consumers, it signals the beginning of fall, regardless of what the calendar or weather tells us,” Jan said in a Cornell media tip sheet. This year, Starbucks brought its Pumpkin Spice Latte back on Aug. 25, nearly a month before the official start of fall.
September’s seasonal picks
September also sits squarely between two seasons in the produce aisle. Late-summer favorites can still be plentiful, while apples, pears, sweet potatoes and winter squash represent fall.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture considers August and September late summer, with tomatoes, corn, bell peppers, zucchini, peaches and other warm-weather favorites still in season. Availability varies by region and growing conditions, so the transition happens at a different pace across the country. At the same time, early-fall produce arrives.
That overlap makes September cooking complicated, but you can also embrace the flexibility. Summer ingredients stay on the menu while cooking methods and flavors shift toward fall.
Make the most of the seasonal overlap
There is no need to abandon summer produce just because fall is approaching. Instead, change what you combine and how you prepare it to make familiar ingredients feel more appropriate for the season.
Let summer and fall share the plate
Not every ingredient on the plate needs to fall squarely in one season. The contrast is part of what makes this short stretch of the year interesting.
Salads help make the transition easy. Add roasted butternut squash or apples to summer greens. Or take the opposite approach and pair summer fruit with ingredients that lean toward fall. A fennel and watermelon salad is a great way to bring both seasons to the same plate.
Let sauces and seasonings fill the gap
A few flavor changes can move a meal toward fall without making it heavier. Swap fresh herbs and citrus for rosemary, sage, smoked paprika or cinnamon. Add toasted nuts for warmth and texture.
Dressings and sauces can do the same job. Try a maple Dijon vinaigrette to add a hint of fall to salads, roasted vegetables and grain bowls while keeping the meal light enough for a warm September day.
Give the grill a break
September does not mean putting the grill away, but cooler evenings make it easier to bring the oven back into the routine. Move chicken, fish and summer vegetables to a sheet pan for a flavorful dinner with the same hands-off appeal.
Grilling favorites can make the move indoors, too. Cook ranch chicken foil packets on a sheet pan in the oven instead of on the grill. Vegetables from either season work well. Kebabs and grilled chicken or fish with vegetables can also make the transition to a sheet pan.
Rethink soup season
Seasonal food labels are becoming less rigid. Soup may be associated with cooler weather, but people enjoy it year-round, from chilled summer stews to brothy bowls that work in any season.
September is a good time to embrace an early soup season without jumping straight to chili and heavy stews when it’s still hot. Simmer late-summer tomatoes into tomato soup, blend corn into a light chowder or combine zucchini and peppers with beans in a vegetable soup.
Enjoy the best of both seasons
September cooking does not require choosing between summer and fall. Follow the weather and what looks good at the market, keeping late-summer favorites on the table while welcoming the first ingredients and flavors of fall. Pumpkin season will continue, so enjoy the overlap while it lasts.
Marjory Pilley owned two make-ahead meal assembly stores that helped busy families prepare healthy dinners with less stress. Since 2013, she has been sharing popular dishes from her stores and other easy recipes on her blog Dinner-Mom.