Alien Veggies
Though you can't tell by the weather, we're on the winter side of autumn, and the farmers' markets are showing the full bounty of autumnal harvests—and I'm not just talking about apples and pumpkins.

You'll be seeing some weird stuff if you wander around your local farmers markets. Stuff like long neck pumpkins; bright lights chard, and kohlrabi will be laid out in a rainbow of vegetables (if you're early and the stands aren't picked over). These unique vegetables make for some fun eating, especially if you have kids or husbands who are loath to branch out from Boboli.

Cauliflower and Broccoli are in especially high supply this time of year, and will be for a while, since they're resistant to cold weather. In addition to your regular varieties, you'll stumble across the likes of purple broccoli, cheddar cauliflower, and Romanesque—a cauliflower that is often mistaken for a type of broccoli. These vegetable freak shows elicit questions like “what the hell is that?” and “can you eat that?” from shoppers, so stop and listen for such a chorus if you can't find them.

Cheddar Cauliflower, an heirloom variety that looks like it's been dipped in the cheese powder from Kraft Mac & Cheese, is a great alternative to the regular snowball version. Though it doesn't taste much different, the orange varieties are a little higher in Vitamin A which the body uses to boost immunity. I recommend steaming it in your favorite Oktoberfest beer, or roasting it in the oven with a little garlic.

Purple Broccoli is merely a different version of regular broccoli. It's been cultivated to bring out the purple color that is in all broccoli, so it tastes exactly the same. Put it alongside some orange cauliflower on a plate for a nice presentation.

The weirdest of all is Romanesque cauliflower (pictured). Spiky and a bright chartreuse, Romanesque is also an heirloom cauliflower, though it looks like it's the product of a farm near Chernobyl. All six of you who are into fractals, this veggie's for you. One shopper at Eastern Market called it the "Fibbonaci" vegetable. It makes a great gift to you favorite math geek! If you plan on eating it, you'll find it intensely flavorful, with a much nuttier flavor than regular cauliflower. I steam it for about 12 minutes, then dress it with a little Parmesan or piave vecchio, though it's also good roasted. Be careful with it, though, as the spikes are really tender and will fly off all over your kitchen.

You'll probably be able to find much more out there if you hit the street. Take advantage of this last month of farmers' markets before most stands fold up for the winter, and let us know what you find.

Book Signings
There are a couple of cookbook signings you should know about if you're looking for a good holiday gift, or for some inspired recipes for upcoming dinner parties. First up, ZAF at dcfud points us to a cookbook signing on Tuesday of Claudia Roden's latest: “Arabesque: A Taste of Morocco, Turkey, and Lebanon. If you're looking for a good introduction to Middle Eastern food, this will be it. The signing is 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, the 14th, at the DCJCC (16th and Q, NW). You can get tickets for the event here.

Capitol Hill resident and NPR contributor Bonny Wolf has a new book of food-related essays, Talking With My Mouth Full: Crab Cakes, Bundt Cakes, and Other Kitchen Stories.” With both stories and recipes, the book appears to be an ethnography of our Nation's food and food traditions. You can catch her 1 p.m. Saturday at Politics and Prose (5015 Connecticut Ave., NW), or on Thursday the 16th at the Borders downtown (1801 L St. NW) starting at 6:30. If you can't make it, stalk by Eastern Market early Saturday mornings, she's usually around somewhere.

Free Whiskey!!
Since we're trying to be seasonal here at DCist, I thought I should let you know that whiskey is a perfect autumnal drink. Well, let's be honest, whiskey is good on any day of the year that ends in “y.” As such, we're pointing you to an opportunity to get some of the sweet brown nectar for free! From 5 to 8 p.m. on Tuesday the 14th, Pearson's Wine & Liquor is holding a free whiskey tasting. Yesssssssssss! Whether you're into whiskey, whisky, or bourbon, you'll find something to love at this event. Now, be aware that it's not a whiskey gulping; for that go next door to a most aptly named tavern.

Small Bites

Brunch at Bebo
I got an email today from Bebo, Chef Roberto Donna's home away from home while Galileo is under reconstruction. It look's like they'll be serving a family style brunch on Sundays. Also mentioned in this week's TomChat, the brunch is like a “choose your own adventure” book. You can't get family-sized portions of antipasti, pasta, meat and fish, and dessert with varying charges based on the number of people in the party and the number of courses ordered. Sounds pretty tasty!

Stoney's Open
Fan favorite dive bar Stoney's opened this week for business at their new location on P Street between 14th and 15th—across from Whole Foods. I stumbled by on my way out of Halo last night and it was hopping. Expect it to be like that forever, since rents in that neighborhood preclude anyone from paying more than $2 a draft.

BLT Steak Opens Monday
I went to the sneak preview of BLT Steak at 1625 I St. last night. How was the food? Um. I don't know. It was served buffet style and there was a huge line, so I didn't really stick around to find out. I did get one piece of fried cheese, which was really tasty. I also had two drinks, which were really really good. One was a Hendricks Gin and lime, and the other was passion fruit puree and rum. Mmm...refreshing.