Root Vegetables Done Right: Sweet Potatoes, Turnips, and the Underground Stars of Fall
Fall's best flavors are hiding just beneath the surface — and right now, the sweetest, most satisfying root vegetables of the season are stacked and ready at our produce stand on Barbourville Road.
Fall's Best Produce Grows Underground
There's something almost magical about root vegetables in the fall. While pumpkins and mums get all the glory up top, the real flavor of the season is happening beneath the surface. Sweet potatoes, turnips, parsnips, and their underground cousins are hitting peak season right now — and honestly, they deserve a little more of the spotlight.
At Open Air Market Produce Stand on Barbourville Road here in London, we've got a beautiful selection of fall root vegetables stacked up and ready to go. If you've been driving past us looking for fresh produce in London, Kentucky, now is an especially good time to pull in and see what the season has brought in.
Sweet Potatoes: The Crown Jewel of the Fall Root Cellar
Let's start with the star of the show. Sweet potatoes in the fall are everything — naturally sweet, impossibly versatile, and packed with the kind of hearty nutrition that your body genuinely craves when the temperatures start to drop. Whether you're roasting them in wedges with a drizzle of olive oil and a pinch of cinnamon, mashing them up as a Thanksgiving side, or baking them whole for a simple weeknight dinner, a good sweet potato never lets you down.
One of our favorite easy preparations: slice them thin, toss with a little butter, brown sugar, and a dash of nutmeg, then layer them in a baking dish and roast until they're caramelized and tender. It's the kind of dish that fills the whole house with that unmistakable fall smell. Pick up a bag this week and give it a try — you'll find yourself making it on repeat all season long.
Don't Sleep on Turnips This Time of Year
Turnips have a bit of an image problem, and we'd like to change that. In the fall, when they're fresh and in season, turnips are mild, slightly sweet, and wonderful when roasted alongside sweet potatoes and a little rosemary. Cube them up, toss them in the same pan, and let the oven do the work — the two root vegetables complement each other beautifully, with the sweet potato's richness balancing out the turnip's earthy bite.
They're also excellent in soups and stews, which is exactly what most of us start craving as September rolls into October. If you haven't cooked with turnips before, fall is the perfect time to experiment. Grab a few when you stop by — they're priced well and they go a long way.
How to Pick the Best Root Vegetables at the Stand
When you're shopping for root vegetables, you're mostly looking for firmness and skin quality. A good sweet potato should feel heavy and solid with no soft spots or shriveling. The skin can range from pale tan to deep reddish-copper depending on the variety — color variation is totally normal and doesn't affect flavor. For turnips, look for smooth, firm skin and a good weight in your hand.
Our team at the stand is always happy to help you pick the best ones for what you're cooking. Whether you're after the sweetest sweet potatoes for a casserole or firm ones that'll hold up in a roast, just ask. That kind of personal attention is something you won't find scrolling through a grocery app — it's one of the reasons folks have been coming back to us since 1984.
A Simple Fall Soup That Starts with Sweet Potatoes
Here's a recipe worth writing down. Dice three medium sweet potatoes and one large turnip into rough chunks. Sauté a yellow onion and two cloves of garlic in a big pot with butter until soft, then add the root vegetables along with four cups of broth — chicken or vegetable both work. Season with salt, pepper, a pinch of smoked paprika, and a little fresh thyme. Simmer until everything is fork-tender, then use an immersion blender to puree it into a silky, golden soup.
Finish it with a swirl of cream or a dollop of sour cream and a few toasted pepitas on top. It's the kind of soup that makes a Tuesday feel like a special occasion. All the main ingredients — sweet potatoes, turnips, onions — you can pick up fresh in one stop at our stand. We're open Monday through Friday from 10 to 6, Saturday from 9 to 6, and Sunday from 11 to 6, with plenty of parking right out front.
Pair Your Root Vegetables with the Full Fall Experience
While you're loading up on sweet potatoes and turnips, don't forget that we've got the full fall spread here at the stand. Pumpkins, gourds, Indian corn, hay bales, and mums are all out in force right now. A lot of folks make a trip out to us on Barbourville Road their official start-of-fall tradition — pick up the produce for the week, grab a pumpkin or two for the porch, and take home a pot of mums to add some color to the front steps.
If you've been searching for a Laurel County farmers market experience or just looking for fruits and vegetables near you that are actually fresh and in season, we're right here — the oldest produce stand in Laurel County and going strong. Come see us this week while the root vegetable selection is at its peak.
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.
