Root Down Into Fall: Sweet Potatoes and Seasonal Vegetables Worth Celebrating Right Now
Sweet potatoes and hearty fall root vegetables are the backbone of autumn cooking — deeply flavorful, endlessly versatile, and right now they're looking absolutely beautiful at the stand.
The Quiet Stars of the Fall Harvest
Every autumn, pumpkins and apples rightfully steal the spotlight — but tucked right alongside them, sweet potatoes and fall root vegetables quietly do some of the most important work on the seasonal table. They roast beautifully, hold up in soups and stews, and have a natural sweetness that seems to deepen the moment the air turns cool. Right now at Open Air Market Produce Stand on Barbourville Road, these are some of the most satisfying things you'll find in the bins — rich in color, heavy in the hand, and just begging to be taken home.
There's something grounding about root vegetables in October. They carry a kind of earthy, no-nonsense energy that fits the season perfectly. Whether you're an experienced home cook or just someone who wants to put a real dinner on the table this week, sweet potatoes and their root vegetable companions are a great place to start.
Sweet Potatoes: More Versatile Than You Might Think
A lot of people think of sweet potatoes as a Thanksgiving side dish and nothing more. But spend a few weeks cooking with them in October and that idea goes right out the window. They can be roasted with olive oil and smoked paprika for a savory weeknight side, mashed with a little butter and brown sugar for something closer to comfort food, or cubed and tossed into a fall hash with onions and whatever herbs you have on hand.
One of the simplest and most rewarding preparations is a slow-roasted whole sweet potato — no fuss, no peeling, just into a hot oven until the skin crisps and the inside turns almost custardy. Split it open, add a little sea salt and a drizzle of honey, and you have something that tastes like the season itself. They also hold up beautifully in soups. A sweet potato and ginger bisque with a swirl of cream is one of those recipes that feels far more impressive than the effort required.
Don't Overlook the Rest of the Root Bin
Sweet potatoes tend to get all the attention, but fall is genuinely the best time to explore other root vegetables too. Turnips, for example, are underrated in a serious way. Roasted until caramelized, they lose their sharpness and develop a mild, nutty flavor that pairs well with apples, butter, and fresh thyme. They're also an old-fashioned addition to beef stew that gives the broth a richness you just can't get any other way.
Parsnips are another one worth grabbing if you haven't cooked with them before. They look like pale carrots but taste almost like a cross between a carrot and a mild celery root — sweet, slightly spicy, and absolutely wonderful roasted at high heat. When you're shopping for fresh produce in London, Kentucky this time of year, it's worth slowing down and actually looking at everything in the root vegetable section. Some of the best cooking of the fall season starts with the stuff that doesn't photograph as glamorously as a pumpkin.
A Simple Roasted Root Vegetable Sheet Pan for the Week
If meal prepping is your thing — or even if it isn't — a big sheet pan of roasted root vegetables made on Sunday can carry you through several meals during the week. Cut sweet potatoes, turnips, and parsnips into roughly equal-sized chunks so they roast evenly. Toss with olive oil, a generous pinch of kosher salt, cracked black pepper, and a spoonful of maple syrup if you want to lean into the sweetness. Roast at 425 degrees until the edges are golden and slightly crispy — about 35 to 40 minutes, tossing once halfway through.
From there, those vegetables can go into grain bowls, get folded into quesadillas, land beside eggs at breakfast, or just be reheated and eaten as a side. It's the kind of flexible, honest cooking that fall weather makes you want to do. And it all starts with finding genuinely good vegetables — the kind that actually smell like something when you bring them home, which is exactly what you'll find when you stop by Open Air Market.
How to Pick the Best Sweet Potatoes at the Stand
When you're standing in front of a bin of sweet potatoes, it's worth knowing what to look for. The best ones are firm all the way around — no soft spots, no give when you press gently on the skin. The skin should be smooth and fairly unblemished. Size-wise, medium sweet potatoes tend to roast more evenly than the really large ones, which can stay dense in the center even after a long time in the oven. That said, larger ones are perfectly fine for mashing or soups where you'll be cutting them up anyway.
For root vegetables like turnips, look for ones that feel heavy for their size and don't have any visible cracks or significant discoloration. Lighter weight usually means they've dried out a bit inside. The freshness at a produce stand like Open Air Market — open Monday through Friday from 10 to 6, Saturday 9 to 6, and Sunday 11 to 6 — means you're getting vegetables that haven't been sitting in cold storage for weeks. That difference shows up in the flavor in a real way.
Pair Your Root Vegetables With the Fall Display Out Front
One thing worth mentioning: if you haven't swung by Open Air Market recently, the fall display right now is the kind of thing that makes you want to pull over. Pumpkins, gourds, mums, hay bales — it's a full autumn scene, and the root vegetables and sweet potatoes inside are a natural extension of that same harvest energy. There's something satisfying about loading up on both — decorations for the porch and dinner for the week — all in one stop with plenty of parking right off Barbourville Road.
Laurel County has had a long relationship with honest, seasonal food, and a stand that's been running since 1984 knows what its community reaches for when the leaves turn. Sweet potatoes and fall root vegetables are a big part of that. Come hungry for ideas, and you'll leave with a bag full of them.
1594 Barbourville Rd, London, KY 40744 · Mon–Fri 10–6 · Sat 9–6 · Sun 11–6
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Serving London, Kentucky since 1984, Open Air Market is the oldest and longest-running produce market in Laurel County. For over 40 years, our family-owned stand at 1594 Barbourville Rd has been the trusted source for fresh, seasonal fruits and vegetables in southeastern Kentucky. We hand-select every item for ripeness and quality — the way it's been done for four decades. Open 7 days a week.
