fall harvest orzo salad

Happy October! (And happy Taylor Swift album release day to all who celebrate! I know what I’ll be jamming out to all weekend…)

This week has brought the first (slightly) chilly mornings and evenings to North Carolina, and the air feels *crisp* for the first time since spring. Out in the garden, our fall carrots are sizing up, the broccoli heads are starting to form, and the tender fall greens like kale, chard, and collards are looking lovely (as seen below, held by my 4 year old farmer-in-training).

Our family is actually sneaking away to the mountains in Virginia this weekend, and I’m very ready to get off the farm to soak up some major autumnal vibes (though I’m currently typing this in the passenger seat, winding through backroads and feeling a liiiiittle queasy, so maybe working on my laptop wasn’t the best idea…).

With that in mind (!) I’m gonna keep the chit chat brief today and get straight to this week’s new recipe for a truly fabulous fall harvest orzo salad. And it’s the first Friday of the month, which means the recipe is available to everyone!

PS – if you have any gardening or cooking related questions, I’m here to help. Send in your questions on our private community HELP LINE, there’s no question too big or small. :)

I know I’m biased, but I would *happily* eat this fall orzo salad situation for breakfast, lunch, and/or dinner. It’s that good. You’ve got color, you’ve got crunch, you’ve got salty and sweet and tangy and honestly? It’s a dang smorgasbord of autumnal goodness.

This salad is super adaptable, so feel free to swap out any of the veggies / fruit / cheese / nuts with whatever you’ve got on hand. For example, if you don’t have access to delicata squash, any kind of winter squash (like butternut, kabocha, etc) will do. Need to make it gluten free? Sub out the orzo and use quinoa instead. Don’t have pumpkin seeds? Walnuts, pecans, or slivered almonds are all great. See what I mean? You do you.

This kind of hearty salad is my go-to dish to bring to a potluck or picnic, because you can serve it at any temperature, and it’s not going to wilt after sitting out for a few hours. If anything, it only