Beyond the Harvest

As November comes to an end, you may have noticed that there are fewer choices of fresh, especially local, fruits and vegetables available. You may see melons, strawberries and grapes at your market but these have been imported or kept in cold storage so they are really no longer fresh, and the taste suffers. The same goes for vegetables. Many of us tend to get in a rut during the winter months, eating only apples, bananas, pears, and oranges or worse, eating very little fruit at all. Vegetable varieties are also less abundant. The lettuce looks less vibrant and the tomatoes seem to have little taste.

But winter offers us an opportunity to try some new foods we might not have tried in the abundant months when our favorites where available. There are many different types of apples. Try several different kinds in a salad with raisins and walnuts. Winter is also a good time to check out the frozen food section. You can find berries, peaches, pineapple cherries, and even mango. These fruits have no added sugar so are better for you than those canned or those dried with sugar added. Warm any of these fruits for a topping on pancakes, waffles, or even ice cream. A variety of frozen fruit is great in a smoothie. For those of you who like to bake, these frozen fruits are fine for putting in muffins and making pies. Cranberries are in season now. You can cook your own or buy them dried or in a sauce or syrup.

Vegetables are generally heartier than fruits, so many have longer growing seasons. Carrots are at their sweetest now, as they develop more sugar as they mature in the ground. Leafy vegetables including broccoli, cabbage, kale, collards and cauliflower are still available. Any of these would be great in a simple stir fry with your favorite meat, poultry, seafood or tofu. Discover something new this winter- ever try parsnips, rutabaga, kohlrabi, Jerusalem artichokes, chard or beets? Most winter vegetables are great for roasting (baking at a high heat) and many other recipes can be found on the inter net.

Winter is also a wonderful time for a chopped salad. A food processor really helps with this, just chop red and green cabbage, Jerusalem artichokes and carrots together. This hearty salad is great with warm crusty bread and cheese for a light dinner. Some fruits go well in a lettuce salad. Try using very thin slices of apples or pears or some canned or fresh mandarin orange sections with sliced almonds.

If you are not one to do too much in the kitchen, at least try out the different kinds of potatoes and squash. Potatoes come in all sizes and many colors, including yams, sweet potatoes, red and even purple potatoes. You can bake, boil or roast any of these. There are also many different kinds of squash. Don't let the color or size intimidate you. Squash are not just for decoration, they are for eating and they are as easy to cook as a baked potato. For most squash all you need to do is cut it in half, scrape out the seeds and bake on a lightly greased pan at 375 degrees for approximately 1 hour. The squash should be soft to the touch when done. You can serve them in their shells or scrape out the inside and sprinkle lightly with cinnamon.

Winter is here, but that doesn't mean that fruits and vegetables are gone. Challenge yourself to include something new at least once a week. You'll be amazed at what you discover.