Seasonal Ingredients: Winter
Winter wonderland generally doesn't bring to mind thoughts of fresh produce. But some fruits and vegetables are best this time of year, so look for delicious choices like citrus fruits, winter squash, potatoes, and leeks at your local market. If you haven't had the chance to use one or more of these items in your cooking, these recipes will give you the chance to expand your culinary horizons.
Fruits
Honeybells
Also known as Minneola Tangelos, this tangerine-grapefruit hybrid is available only for about three weeks in January. Medium to very large in size, these bell-shaped, deep- to red-orange fruits are incredibly sweet and juicy (so juicy that many growers pack bibs with customers' orders!). They are seedless, which makes breeding and growing them very difficult (hence the very short period of availability).
Papayas
Brighten bleak winter days with a taste of the tropics! Papayas are now fairly easy to buy all year round, thanks to their year-round growing season and easy shipping.
Vegetables
Cooking Greens
"Greens" is a generic, catchall term for the leafy green parts of plants from several different groups. They are characterized by their pungent flavors and high nutritional content; included in this category are kale, turnip greens, Swiss chard, beet greens, and mustard greens.
Leeks
Related to both garlic and onions, the leek is in season from winter on into spring. Smaller leeks will be more tender.
Potatoes
Potatoes may be the ultimate in comfort food, and they're also in season this time of year. Choose potatoes that are firm, well shaped, and heavy for their size. Avoid potatoes that have a green tinge, which indicates improper storage. Find out All About Potatoes.
Winter Squash
Have you ever tried winter squash? This is one of those too-often overlooked foods.