Week 17 – October 1 & 3, 2026

Delivery dates: October 1 & 3, 2026

Roast a little extra, eat a little easier. Week 17 brings Romaine, Garlic, Sweet Peppers, Kohlrabi, Shallots, Sweet Sunrise Potatoes (our red-skinned, red-fleshed Y38 potatoes), Winter Squash (Acorn + Delicata), Basil, Carrots, and Cherry Tomatoes — a taco night that quietly does tomorrow’s cooking too, and Tomato-Basil Sweet Sunrise Potatoes for a change of pace from recent sheet-pan weeks.

Use These First

Your vegetables don't read this list. Check everything when you unpack your bin — anything very ripe, bruised, or showing signs of deterioration moves to the front of the line. This is a storage guide, not a meal order — see below for how we'd sequence the week.

First 1–3 days — Basil · Romaine

Next — Cherry Tomatoes · Sweet Peppers

No rush — Kohlrabi · Carrots (tops removed) · Shallots · Garlic · Sweet Sunrise Potatoes · Winter Squash (Acorn & Delicata)

Use These First is about storage, not what you need to eat tonight. Basil and romaine are the most perishable things in the bin, so they get looked after first — but that doesn’t mean they all have to be eaten on Day 1:

Basil — when you unpack, set aside a small handful (several good sprigs) for Day 3’s Tomato-Basil Sweet Sunrise Potatoes and stand them in a small glass of water on the counter. Use the rest during the week, or turn it into pesto and freeze it for winter. See Do This When You Unpack.
Romaine — a storage priority, but flexible in the meal plan. Shred some into Day 1 tacos, add it to Day 2 bowls, or serve it as Day 3’s side salad. You don’t need to save it all for Day 3.

Our suggestion: build Day 1 around the squash and peppers, and roast extra of both on purpose — Day 2’s dinner is largely already cooked before you start it.

This Week, Handled

Let us take a few decisions off your plate.

Here’s one practical way through this week’s bin, with one grocery list. Pick one, two, or all three meals — think of it as a starting point, not an assignment.

Designed for about 4 people. Adjust quantities for your household.

Day 1: Roast Extra, On Purpose

Cook Once, Use Twice

This Week's Shortcut

Roast extra squash, peppers and shallots tonight — most of tomorrow's dinner is already done.

Tonight’s roasting is tomorrow’s dinner prep. Roast more acorn/delicata squash, sweet peppers, and shallots than you need for taco night, then refrigerate the extra as soon as dinner is over. Tomorrow, that already-cooked veg goes straight into a harvest bowl — most of the chopping and roasting is behind you.

One exception: before you roast tonight’s shallots, set one aside uncooked for Day 3’s potatoes.

45 MIN

Roasted Squash & Sweet Pepper Tacos

Uses: Winter Squash · Sweet Peppers · Shallots · Garlic · Kohlrabi · Carrots · Romaine and/or Cherry Tomatoes, if desired

If your squash is too hard to cut comfortably, soften it first. A whole acorn squash can be genuinely difficult to cut raw. Pierce the skin a few times with a knife, then bake it whole at 400°F for about 15–20 minutes — just long enough to take the edge off, not to cook it through. Let it cool until it’s safe to handle, then halve it and scoop out the seeds. We stop well short of fully cooking it whole on purpose: a whole roasted squash traps moisture inside, and this week’s tacos want the cut flesh exposed to the oven so it actually browns and develops flavour, rather than steaming.

Before you roast tonight’s shallots, set one aside for Day 3. Leave it whole and uncooked with the rest of your stored shallots.

Once halved and seeded, brush the cut side of the squash with oil, sprinkle with salt and a little taco seasoning if you like, and roast cut-side down at 400°F for about 30–40 minutes, until a fork slides in easily — exact timing depends on the size of your squash, so let doneness be the guide, not the clock.

While the squash roasts, slice the sweet peppers into strips and cut the remaining shallots into wedges. In a bowl, toss the peppers and shallots with oil, salt, and taco seasoning before they go onto the sheet pan — store-bought or the copycat mix below both work. Add them to the pan with the squash for the last 20–25 minutes (they cook faster than the squash), until softened and browned at the edges.

Once the squash is tender, cut or scoop the flesh into taco-sized pieces. Delicata skin is edible once roasted, so it can go right into the taco. For acorn, it’s easier to scoop the cooked flesh away from the skin than to peel it raw.

Before you sit down to eat: pull out and refrigerate a portion of the roasted squash, peppers, and shallots — enough for tomorrow’s harvest bowls. Warm tortillas, fill with the roasted vegetables plus black beans and/or chicken, and add whichever toppings you like from the options below.

Roast more squash, peppers and shallots than tonight needs — the extra becomes most of tomorrow's dinner.

Copycat Taco Seasoning

No packet? Mix enough for tonight's pan from pantry spices.

Enough for one taco night, including the extra you’re roasting for Day 2:

2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp smoked or regular paprika
½ tsp garlic powder
½ tsp dried oregano
½ tsp salt
Optional: a pinch of cayenne or chili flakes, for heat

Stir together and use about two-thirds on the peppers and shallots and the rest on the squash. If you use this mix, you don’t need to add extra salt when you toss the vegetables.

Toppings, your way: a quick kohlrabi-carrot slaw, shredded romaine, or both — the point is flexibility, not getting every bin item into the taco.

Taco Topping Options

A quick slaw, shredded romaine, or both — whichever is easier tonight.

Quick kohlrabi-carrot slaw — peel and julienne or shred the kohlrabi and carrot, toss with a squeeze of lime, a small drizzle of oil, and a pinch of salt. A few torn basil leaves are good here too, if you’d like to use some. That’s it — keep it fresh and quick rather than a project.

Keep it even easier — shred or chop the romaine and use that instead, for crunch and freshness with no extra prep. Cherry tomatoes, halved or whole, are a good fresh add either way.

You don’t need to choose — the slaw adds crunch, the romaine adds volume, and both are optional.

Day 2: Leftover Harvest Bowls

This is the payoff from Day 1 — most of the work is already done.

20 MIN

Leftover Harvest Taco Bowls

Uses: reserved roasted Winter Squash, Sweet Peppers & Shallots · Romaine · Cherry Tomatoes

Cook rice or quinoa while you reheat the reserved roasted squash, peppers, and shallots. Build bowls with the grain on the bottom, the warmed roasted vegetables on top, and black beans and/or leftover chicken if you have them.

Finish with romaine, cherry tomatoes, leftover kohlrabi-carrot slaw if you made it, cheese, and salsa or a squeeze of lime — whatever’s on hand. Night 2 should feel noticeably easier than Night 1.

Most of the chopping and roasting happened yesterday — tonight is mostly assembly.

Day 3: Something Different

After a run of roasted and sheet-pan meals, this one’s stovetop and skillet.

40 MIN

Tomato-Basil Sweet Sunrise Potatoes

Uses: Sweet Sunrise Potatoes · reserved Shallot · Cherry Tomatoes · Garlic · reserved Basil

Halve or quarter the Sweet Sunrise Potatoes into bite-sized pieces and pan-fry in a generous amount of oil over medium-high heat, turning occasionally, until tender and nicely golden on the outside — about 20–25 minutes. Season with salt as they cook. Transfer the potatoes to a plate and set aside.

Lower the heat to medium and add the shallot you reserved on Day 1, thinly sliced, to the same pan (add a little more oil if it looks dry). Cook, stirring often, for about 5–7 minutes, until soft and golden-brown — turn the heat down if it’s darkening too fast.

Add the cherry tomatoes and a couple of sliced or smashed garlic cloves. Cook for a few minutes, until the tomatoes blister and burst, mashing a few lightly with your spoon to build a light pan sauce. Adding the garlic now, rather than earlier, keeps it from burning.

Return the potatoes to the pan and toss them through the tomato-shallot mixture, then remove from the heat. Tear in your reserved basil at the very end — the residual heat is all it needs.

Add protein however suits your household: a fried or poached egg on top, warmed white beans stirred through, or sliced leftover chicken. If you have romaine left, toss it simply with oil, lemon, and salt for an easy side — this meal doesn’t need it.

Red-fleshed Sweet Sunrise Potatoes, caramelized shallot and burst cherry tomatoes come together in a garlicky pan sauce, finished with fresh basil.

Save Some for Winter

A Little Favour for Your January Self — Basil Pesto

Basil doesn't wait around. Turn what you won't use this week into pesto for the freezer.

For this week: keep a small handful (several good sprigs) of fresh basil in a glass of water for Day 3.

For winter: turn the rest into pesto. This week’s basil and garlic are enough to start a batch — see the Pesto Variations guide for the classic basil version and the freezing method.

Freeze it in small, useful portions — an ice cube tray, small containers, or flattened in small freezer bags all work. Once the tray portions are solid, pop them out and transfer to a freezer bag or container so the tray’s free for its next job.

Come winter, a frozen portion drops straight into pasta, soup, roasted vegetables, a sandwich, or pizza.

Optional bonus: bag up fresh carrot tops in the freezer for a December carrot-top pesto adventure — see Do This When You Unpack.

One Grocery List

Do This When You Unpack

About 10 minutes.

Do This When You Unpack

Ten minutes now makes the rest of the week easier.

Basil: reserve some for Day 3, then deal with the rest.
1. Set aside a small handful — several healthy sprigs — for Day 3’s Tomato-Basil Sweet Sunrise Potatoes.
2. Trim the stem ends and stand those sprigs in a small glass or jar of water like flowers, on the counter and out of direct sun, loosely covered with a plastic bag. Never the fridge — cold turns basil leaves black within hours.
3. Use the remaining basil promptly during the week, or make it into pesto.
4. Freeze any pesto you won’t use now in small portions (see Save Some for Winter).
Basil kept this way usually holds for a few days — enough to get you to Day 3, not indefinitely.
Give the romaine its best shot at staying crisp: refrigerate it promptly, keep it dry, and store it in the crisper drawer or a produce bag/container that lets it breathe.
Keep the cherry tomatoes on the counter, not the fridge — out of direct sun. Cold ruins their texture and flavour.
Sweet peppers — if one has already started changing colour, you can leave it on the counter a little longer to keep colouring; once it reaches the colour you want, or if you won’t use it soon, move it to the crisper. A fully green pepper won’t necessarily colour up indoors — refrigerate that one now.
Your carrots arrive with their tops attached — remove them before refrigerating. The greens keep pulling moisture from the roots and shorten their storage life. Refrigerate the roots separately in the crisper. The tops are edible if still fresh — use them like an herb in pesto, sauces, or soup.
Optional: a December carrot-top pesto adventure. If the tops are fresh and green, don’t toss them — rinse them well now, dry them very thoroughly (a salad spinner, then a clean towel), pack them into a freezer bag with the air pressed out, and freeze. They’ll thaw limp, not herb-fresh, so they’re strictly for blending — come December, whiz them straight from frozen into a carrot-top pesto.
Refrigerate the kohlrabi in a produce bag in the crisper.
Set the shallots, garlic, and Sweet Sunrise Potatoes in a cool, dark, well-ventilated spot — not the fridge. Remember: one shallot is spoken for on Day 3.
Set the winter squash in a cool, dry spot — not the fridge, and not cut until you’re ready to cook it.

Not Feeling These Meals?

Start with the vegetable you want to use. The plan above is one easy way through the week, not a requirement. Every guide below has storage detail and more ideas.

	This week’s bin
🥗	Romaine — see the Lettuce Heads guide
🧄	Garlic
🫑	Sweet Peppers
🥒	Kohlrabi
🧅	Shallots
🥔	Sweet Sunrise Potatoes — see the Potatoes guide
🎃	Winter Squash — 1 Acorn + 1 Delicata — see the Winter Squash guide
🌿	Basil — plus Pesto Variations
🥕	Carrots
🍅	Cherry Tomatoes

Or browse the full Recipe Library.

Watch This Week’s Unboxing

UNBOXING Week 17 Unboxing

Recipe Library → Weekly Box Archive → ← Week 16