Eat Your Veggies: Winter Produce In Season
By Eric O'Neill, Smart Kitchen.com
Winter vegetables are sometimes ignored in favor of summer favorites; however, there are many reasons to savor them. They add loads of vitamins and nutrients to our diets, do wonders for our immunity, and taste great when prepared properly. Plus, eating seasonally is eating green: as it takes us back to the old days of eating only the freshest available products. It’s a more sustainable eating.
Winter squash varieties, Butternut, Spaghetti, Banana, Acorn, Delicata, Hubbard, Buttercup, and Pumpkins add a colorful and sweet accent to your plate. Each type of squash has its own nutty sweet profile and can be prepared in several festive ways. They are also among the healthiest types of complex carbohydrates (the best kind of carbohydrates), with loads of high fiber, vitamin A, and vitamin C content. They are best when roasted, stewed, or braised. A delicious and healthy warm winter meal is made cozy and delicious with the addition of squash.
Root Vegetables grow best in the winter months. You can also enjoy sweet potatoes and yams, which have higher nutritional value than white potatoes and serve as healthy complex carbohydrates as their vitamins A and C content are very high. Turnips, Parsnips, and Rutabagas may seem like they came from a different planet, without the proper seasoning these vegetables are bland. But recipes like Puree of Root Vegetables, incorporates all of these vegetables, seasoning and create a very flavorful mash. They’re also high in fiber and vitamin C.
Beets usually require an acquired taste, but if you have it, this is a wonderful vegetable to enjoy in the winter. The sugary root vegetable deserves an individual mention because it’s the most nutritious root vegetable. Not only is it packed with vitamins, but it also serves as a natural cleanser for the liver and bloodstream. Beets are sweet, surprisingly low-calorie and make great salads. For a hotter twist, help yourself to a steaming bowl of roasted beets. Beets have vibrant natural colors from roasted pink and golden beets guaranteed to star in any salad bowl.
Brussels sprouts have gotten a bad rap over the years. Most everyone boils them to the point of mushy quick sand and there is no going back from this. These small green cabbages are high in vitamin C—a great vegetable to make during head-cold season. Roasting them really brings out there sweetness and caramelizes them nicely.
Kale is a Super Foods, packed with essential vitamins and nutrients such as Folic Acid, iron, and magnesium. As are chard and spinach, as well as many other varieties of winter greens, such as collards, escarole, and mustard greens. These leafy wonders best lightly sautéed with garlic, shallots, and fresh lemon juice, or cooked into stews.
