Orange you hungry? Let's dig in.

PUMPKINS

• When pumpkins start cropping up in grocery stores we automatically think spooooky season is right around the corner, but did you know that they weren't the original produce of choice for Halloween carvings? It was said that Celtic cultures would hollow out turnips and other large root vegetables in honour of an age-old Irish legend about the spirit of 'Stingy Jack' who was left to roam the Earth at night with an ember inside a carved-out turnip to light his way – which sparked the popular term 'Jack-o'-Lantern'!

• In 2018, The National reported that Abu Dhabi resident Hesham Alkhateeb successfully harvested a 90-kilogram (yes, that's a nine and a zero) pumpkin in his backyard with the help of organic fertilisers.

• Native to Central America, pumpkins are 90% water on average and are an outstanding source of vitamins and minerals.

Pro tip: Much like you wouldn't throw away a lemon without zesting it, learn how you can use every part of a pumpkin, seeds and all.

BUTTERNUT SQUASH

• Considered by many as a fall superfood, butternut squash is loaded with vitamins and beta-carotene – vital for your eye health and immunity.

• Butternut squash is naturally sweet and pairs wonderfully with aromatic herbs like sage and thyme. It makes delicious hearty soups, rich stews, and velvety purées and acts as a yummy starchy add-on to your leafy salads. Craving sugar? Celebrate butternut squash's inherent sweetness with a wet rub of warm spices like cinnamon, nutmeg or ginger mixed into a sugary liquid base of maple syrup or honey before roasting it in the oven.

Pro tip: Use leftover hollowed-out squash shells as fun – and edible – serving dishes.

HONEY

• When properly sealed and conserved, natural honey will last a lifetime! Although it may go through normal organic changes through time, honey technically doesn't spoil thanks to its natural sugar content and high acidity – which kills pesty organisms (bacteria and fungi) that would typically spoil our food.

• Have some leftover honey in your cupboard? Incorporate it into your skincare routine; honey carries many healing and antiseptic properties and can be used as an emollient for your lips or as a natural face moisturiser.

Happening on October 29: Keep an eye out for our attempt at the world's largest honey cake to celebrate 60 years of Spinneys!

PERSIMMONS

• Harvested from October through February, persimmons are Japan's national fruit and are regarded as highly remedial thanks to their anti-inflammatory benefits.

• A sleeper hit in the world of fruit – because of their peculiar jelly-like texture that can be polarising – ripe persimmons are delicious with a sweetness most likened to honey. They make fantastic pie fillings, but you can also bake them into cakes and puddings, mix them into yoghurt, and toss them into salads. They are equally tasty eaten whole as part of your five a day.

SWEET POTATOES

• Sweet potatoes are the healthier, orange-fleshed distant cousin of the potato and are rich in dietary fibre, making them great for improving gut health and maintaining good digestion.

• Some people use the terms 'sweet potatoes' and 'yams' interchangeably and often sell them under either name in some parts of the world, but they couldn't be any more unrelated. Yams and sweet potatoes have completely different botanical makeups and don't even come from the same plant family.

• Roast it, wedge it, fry it, dice it, stew it, soup it, cake it, pie it...is there anything a sweet potato can't do?