Autumn has always been my favorite time of year. The fiery glory of the leaves during my college years in Maine. The alpenglow on the mountainsides near my home in the Rockies. Pumpkin patches and fresh apple cider straight from the press. Thanksgiving, the most important holiday tradition in my family, and all of the annual rituals of the harvest.

Research study shows only heirloom organic breeds nutritionally complete.

One look at a big, red tomato and one can almost taste its’ juicy freshness...unless, that tomato was part of a group of 43 fruit and vegetable crops analyzed by Dr. Donald Davis, research associate at the Biochemical Institute at the University of Texas, Austin. For two decades, Davis and two colleagues Melvin Epp, and Hugh Riordan analyzed nutritional data taken from selectively bred high yield conventionally grown produce. In 2005, their study titled “Changes in USDA Food Composition Data for 43 Garden Crops, 1950 to 1999” showed the results.

The recent teasers of chilly days have sent me scampering to use up what’s left in my garden before nature decides it’s truly time to frost. It is a good time to make pesto.

In Italy, pesto, a paste of herbs, olive oil and Parmesan cheese, is used for everything from spreading on bruschetta to slathered on a Panini to stirred with hot pasta noodles until the parmesan melts delightfully. Traditionally made with garlic, basil and roasted pine nuts, I like to add spinach to my pesto as well. It cuts the powerful basil nicely and adds a nice nutritional boost while making the endeavor more economical if you have to buy your fresh herbs at the store.

A college friend, now a newspaper photographer, recently visited from Boston. When we first met, she smoked several packs of cigarettes a day and thrived on fast food. Today, as mom to a 7-year-old, she’s a role model for organic living, and the family dines strictly on organic vegetarian cuisine.

When we set a lunch date, she chose her favorite restaurant on Los Angeles’ trendy “Restaurant Row”: Real Food Daily, an organic, vegan haven in West Hollywood, where celebrity sightings are de rigueur and the wait staff goes out of its way to ensure customers leave happy and replenished.

I love breakfast foods, and I’ll sometimes prepare them for dinner. But like many on-the-go professionals, I rise early and have a hard time cooking at 6 a.m. Short of a blast of coffee, I may forego breakfast until mid-morning and, I must confess, occasionally skip this meal altogether—a bad nutritional move.

I’m not alone. Many Americans fail to eat what Mom repeatedly—and correctly—called the most important meal of the day. Some of us play the “I don’t have time; I’m rushing out the door” card, while others believe skipping breakfast will help them lose weight. Both approaches are rife with dietary pitfalls.