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This month we're watching the baseball playoffs, getting ready for the first frost and figuring out where to see the best fall foliage (thanks to this handy regional color report, which is updated every three days). We're also eating...

Butternut Squash
This squash's deep-orange flesh has a sweet, nutty flavor (some even compare it to butterscotch). The more orange the inside is, the more candy-like the taste. Potassium- and beta-carotene-rich, it's a classic and versatile fall vegetable. Ina Garten has a maple-roasted take on it,  Jessica Seinfeld puts it in quesadillas and Susan Spungen turns it into a smooth bisque.

Apples, Beer and Cabbage
Oktoberfest actually starts in mid-September, but it runs through the first week of October. You could make this traditional German stew, which includes two different kinds of apples, varying colors of cabbage, caraway seeds and pork shoulder; these crowd-friendly deep-fried sauerkraut balls; or just embrace Oktoberfest for what it really is: an opportunity to drink beer. O asked beer sommeliers for their regional favorites, then sampled their suggestions. Here are some of the most delicious bottles. Also check out The Oxford Companion to Beer, out this month.




Pimento Cheese
The Southern spreadable wonder steps into the national spotlight with an appearance in A New Turn in the South: Southern Flavors Reinvented for Your Kitchen by chef Hugh Acheson, whose fresh approach to Southern food earned him a spot on Top Chef Masters. Grated cheddar and mayonnaise are standard ingredients, and Acheson adds Dijon mustard and smoked Spanish paprika. We're also loving a version from Matt and Sheila Neal of Neal's Deli in Carrboro, NC, which includes sweet Peppadew peppers and a little bit of bourbon. No matter how you make it, serve it on rye bread, with biscuits and a piece of bacon or spread on crackers.

A Crowd-Sourced Recipe
Community cookbooks from junior leagues and church groups have been around for decades. Now, The Food52 Cookbook: 140 Winning Recipes from Exceptional Home Cooks, takes the concept a step further. Amanda Hesser and Merrill Stubbs asked readers for their best recipes on 52 different subjects--e.g., beef stew, roast chicken, peach cake--for a year. They posted them on Food52 and tested them. Readers voted, and the winners were compiled into a cookbook you know you can count on.

Kimchi Gazpacho with Shrimp
For chef Anita Lo, all cooking is fusion cooking. Her multicultural influences are dazzling, from a layered Napoleon made from the fermented tea drink kabocha, Italian mascarpone and ginger; to a traditional Spanish gazpacho turned on its head with Korean kimchi and shrimp. Lo's new cookbook, Cooking Without Borders, has 100 more recipes for creative, global food.