Written by Tara Alley
I don’t know that I’ve actually ever sat down and “planned” out New Year’s resolutions. I’ve got a number of reasons for this which I won’t go into now (your welcome!). However! This year, I’m making a legitimate focus and goal as I march into January. And, that, my friends, is to increase my local produce intake. Here’s the thing. I’ve lived in Montana for all but two years of my life, those two being the latter two. This is now my second winter in California and my first as someone actually settled in, relatively confident in finding my way around. That said, my explorations are significantly greater than last year and my newly grasped reality that farmers markets actually exist year round here, has led me to the place where I’ve realized that as of today, my locally available options for seasonal produce includes over 60+ options. Do you know what that number is in Montana? It’s zero. Zero to 60! That’s pretty fantastic in my book. Yet, the fact that I haven’t been taking advantage of this is purely ridiculous, and if any of my Montanan friends were aware of my slacking, there would be certain trouble.
If you’re living anywhere where you have seasonal vegetables and fruits currently growing right now, I hope you see this as a bit of a call to action. I’d say there’s a good shot that either you are/or have become accustomed to it, maybe even blasé about it. But, really, it’s incredible. So go find a market and buy some freshly picked tangerines. You won’t regret it, trust me. If you’re living somewhere where you too suffer from zero seasonal produce for 10 months out of the year, I still hope you’ll jump on a vegetable eating track with me with some of these fantastic recipes that are on the top of my list to try. (No, the produce called for won’t be growing next door, but try to find at least the most seasonal options to the U.S. and as close as possible to your home as opposed to a far off country You can put it into your “healthier” New Year’s category at the very least!
Where to Find the “List”
If you want a basic overview of every state and what’s local in terms of produce right now, check out Taste of Home’s Seasonal Winter Produce page. If you want to get a broader reach into “food” (including sea food), my very favorite site for finding what’s local is Sustainable Table. You can choose your own state and your season with just a couple clicks.
In light of Carolyn and I both being in southern California, I’m going to tailor this from here on out for what I will be trying, but remember, adjust this accordingly to where you live!
Southern California Produce
You ready to see what you might be missing out on that’s growing locally? Here you go!
December: Artichokes, Asian greens, avocado, beans, beets, bell pepper, bok choy, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, burdock, cabbage, cardoons, carrots, cauliflower, celery, chard, chestnuts, collards, cress, dates, endive, fennel, garlic, grapefruit, grapes, guava, herbs, horseradish, kale, kiwi, kohlrabi, kumquats, leeks, lemons, lettuces, limes, mandarins, mushrooms, onions, oranges, parsnips, pears, peppers, persimmons, pomegranates, pomelos, potatoes, radicchio, radish, rapini, rutabaga, salsify, scallions, spinach, sunchokes, sweet potatoes, tangerines, turnips, walnuts, winter squash
January: Asian greens, avocado, beans, beets, bok choy, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cardoons, carrots, cauliflower, chard, cherimoyas, collards, cress, dandelion/chicory greens, endive, fennel, garlic, gourds, grapefruit, guava, herbs, horseradish, kale, kiwi, kumquats, leeks, lemons, lettuces, limes, mandarins, mushrooms, nettles, onions, oranges, parsnips, pears, persimmons, pomelos, potatoes, radish, rapini, rutabaga, scallions, spinach, sunchokes, tangerines, turnips, walnuts
My Top 3 Recipes to Try for January
Because I firmly believe everything tastes better when it’s local and freshly picked, I can’t help but want to take advantage of this smorgasbord of options! Jump on board with me, and if you find yourself as smitten as I, try one of these scrumptious recipes! My local ingredients italicized.
1 for Comfort Hearty Root Vegetable Pot Pie
Ingredients
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 cups potatoes, cubed
2 cups turnips, cubed
1 cup rutabagas, cubed
2 cups carrots, chopped
1/2 tablespoon fresh ginger, grated
5 cloves garlic, diced
3/4 tablespoon coarse sea salt
1/2 cup sherry
1 teaspoon each rosemary and sage
1 tablespoon tamari
1 tablespoon arrowroot powder
1/2 cup water
2 cups kale, stems removed and finely chopped
Topping
2 cups flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup rice milk
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1. Place a large pot on medium heat. Place the oil in the pot and add the potatoes, turnips, rutabagas, carrots, ginger, garlic, salt, sherry, and herbs. Stir ingredients frequently to prevent them from sticking to the bottom of the pot. As the vegetables are cooking, mix the tamari, arrowroot powder and water in a separate cup, stirring until the powder is dissolved. Pour this mixture into the vegetable pot and continue stirring. Cook the vegetables on medium heat for about half an hour, until they begin to soften.
2. Preheat oven to 350F. While the vegetables are cooking, make the topping: In a medium-sized mixing bowl, stir in the flour, salt, and baking powder together. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and slowly add the oil, vinegar, and water. Carefully mix the wet ingredients together in the well until they are emulsified, then stir them into the flour mixture until a soft dough is formed. Set aside.
3. After the vegetables have begun to soften, pour them into a large casserole dish. Crumble chunks of the dough over the top, covering the top evenly with the dough. Place in preheated oven and bake 20-25 minutes, until the dough turns a golden brown. Serve warm.
{Taken from Care2.com}
1 for Fresh: Fruit & Yogurt Refresher
2 cups vegan vanilla yogurt
2 tablespoons lemon juice
½ to 1 cup pomegranate seeds
Grapefruit slices
Orange slices
Tangerine slices
Stir lemon juice and pomegranates gently into vanilla yogurt until well blended. Arange slices of oranges, tangerines, grapefruits (and any other citrus fruits in season) in decorative glass bowls/saucers/plates. Spoon yogurt topping on top. Sprinkle with extra pomegranate seeds for garnish.
1 for Sweet: Pomegranate Poached Pears
Ingredients
4 ripe, firm organic Bosc pears
1 ½ cups pomegranate juice
1 cup sweet dessert wine (Muscatel or Riesling)
2 cinnamon sticks
1 tablespoon whole cloves
A few slices of beet (optional, for coloring)
Peel the pears, leaving them whole with the stems on. Cut off the bottoms of the fruits so they stand up on their own.
In a large, deep saucepan or small Dutch oven, bring the juice, wine and spices to a gentle simmer.
Place the pears on their sides in the liquid. Turn the heat to low, cover the pan and let the pears cook 15 to 30 minutes, until they are tender (check them by piercing them with a sharp knife). As they cook, turn them gently several times so they turn an even red. You can also spoon the poaching liquid over the top to cover exposed areas.
When the pears are tender, remove them with a slotted spoon. Turn the heat to high and let the liquid boil until it is reduced to a syrup. Watch it carefully and scrape the pot to keep it from burning.
Serve your pears with drizzled syrup, and garnish with nuts, pomegranate seeds or orange zest. Tell everyone the dessert took hours to prepare.
This recipe is modified from Eating Well. {Taken from Organic Authority}
Freelancer Tara Alley writes full time for Air & Water and guests blogs as often as she can, as much about food as possible.
