Winter Fruits & Vegetables

Fruits and Vegetables from the Winter Farmers' Market
Winter veggies are delicious, nutritious ... but sometimes tricky. These recipes take the mystery out of seasonal eating in the winter.
Also see Top Sources of Vitamin C, Vitamin A, Vitamin E, Iron and Calcium
By Erin Schulte

http://www.thedailygreen.com/healthy-eating/eat-safe/winter-farmers-market-recipes?src=nl&mag=tdg&list=dgr

Winter at the Farmers' Market
Seasonal produce isn't just for the summer months: root vegetables, squash and fruits like apples and citrus from California and Florida are common in farmers' markets across the U.S. during winter months.

"If it's in season in the States and not coming from Argentina or Mexico, you can support farms on a family-level scale," says Erin Barnett, director of LocalHarvest, which connects family farmers and consumers. "U.S. shipping companies are getting more efficient, but it's more about buying directly from U.S. farms than reducing your carbon footprint in the winter. You're supporting more of a rural lifestyle that a lot of people have an affection for, as opposed to agribusiness. And you are able to ask the farmers questions about the food."

Indeed, supporting local farmers is becoming more important to U.S. consumers -- in 2008, 4 million people used LocalHarvest.org to find locally grown foods, up from 3 million in 2007. (You can too, using the LocalHarvest "Get Local Info" tool on the homepage of The Daily Green.) LocalHarvest lists 2,000 community-supported agriculture programs, around 100 of which sell direct to consumers through its site; if you want to stay local, you can also find 10,000 farms and almost 4,000 farmers' markets.

Apples
he old saw "an apple a day keeps the doctor away" has been proven time and again: Scientific studies show that the crunchy, fiber-filled fruit reduces risk for colon, pancreatic and breast cancer and heart disease, and may protect against memory loss. It may be the world's only substance that is not only great for your heart and your brain, but also makes a mean strudel. Remember to eat the peel -- about two-thirds of an apple's fiber and many of the antioxidants are held in the natural "wrapper."

Though they're harvested primarily in late fall, apples store well and are available throughout the winter across the U.S. And if you're tired of the same old Granny Smiths and Red Delicious, don't dismay: The United States grows more than 2,500 varieties of apples, many of which you can find at local farms or markets.

Beets
One of the best things about beets is that they're high in folic acids that protect against birth defects, so a bowl of borscht or an heirloom-beet salad is the perfect prescription for a healthy pregnancy. Ninety-five percent of the beets produced in the U.S. end up in a can, but fresh beets offer more than just crunch and a variety of colors -- the greens attached to the beets are also tasty, and can be sautéed with garlic and some olive oil and be eaten just like spinach, or used in soups to provide some extra texture and nutrition.

Brussels Sprouts
Brussels sprouts -- first cultivated in large quantities in Belgium and imported to Louisiana by French settlers in the 1800s -- have gotten a bad rap. The columnist Dave Barry once wrote: "We kids feared many things ... werewolves, dentists, North Koreans, Sunday School -- but they all paled in comparison with Brussels sprouts." Poor Mr. Barry's mother probably served the frozen variety of this cute mini-cabbage, which can be bitter and mushy.

Fresh Brussels sprouts, on the other hand, are firm, tasty, easy to prepare and packed with nutrients -- only four little sprouts deliver more than a day's recommended vitamin C and tons of fiber. So even if you too fear the Brussels sprout, it's worth giving fresh varieties of the veggie a second shot.

Garlic
Though claims that garlic prevents cancer and lowers cholesterol have recently been challenged, there's one thing that's indisputable: It's delicious. You don't need a recipe to enjoy garlic in its most basic form: Cut off the top, drizzle with olive oil, wrap in tin foil, and roast at 400 degrees until the cloves (only 4 calories apiece!) are soft and spreadable. Mythology says you can also use garlic to ward off vampires (or overly eager first dates).

Carrots
Carrots are best known for being rich in beta carotene, a compound that may reduce heart disease and certain types of cancer, and vitamin A, which bolsters vision, bone growth and tooth development. The long, orange wedge favored by Bugs Bunny, however, is not the carrot in its most natural state. Originally, wild carrot varieties ranged in color from white to purple. In the 1600s, Dutch agriculturalists developed carrots that emphasized orange tints and phased out purple. The tinkering didn't stop there: Researchers at Southern Illinois University report that the British developed high-carotene carrots during World War II in order to enhance pilots' night vision. Today, geneticists are breeding carrots in a wide color spectrum, including purple, red and yellow, all with slightly different nutritional properties.

Onions
Americans consume about 20 pounds of onions per capita every year, and it's no wonder: You get a lot of flavor for your calories (something they're obviously aware of in Libya, where the average person eats 67 pounds of onions a year). A serving of onion has only 45 calories and can transform the taste and aroma of casseroles, sautés, salads and sandwiches -- and just about anything else. If you're too busy to prepare a dish, whip yourself up a Gibson -- one of the few cocktails that's garnished with an onion.

Rutabaga
Rutabagas are like a cabbage-turnip hybrid. They're easy to grow and, once you pull them from the ground, they can keep in your cupboard for up to three whole months -- enough for nearly a full winter. The big, yellow root vegetables have a stronger, more peppery flavor than their mild-mannered turnip cousins, and have more vitamin A and beta carotene, as well.

Kumquats
These tiny orange "mini footballs" -- about an inch high -- have an explosive sweet and sour flavor and are the only citrus fruit intended to be eaten rind and all. The sweet-flavored skin of a kumquat (which is native to China, but is grown in U.S. citrus states during the winter) offsets the sour pulp and juice inside. Kumquats are a special treat simply eaten whole but can also be used to garnish drinks or make preserves or desserts. Kumquat Growers Inc. has an extensive list of creative kumquat recipes.

Kale
Kale is hearty, grows in cool climates, and is available in most of the U.S. during winter months. It gives heft and texture to soups and can even be eaten roasted like a (very) healthy potato chip. Like blueberries and pomegranates, kale has been crowned a superfood and is enjoying a surge in popularity not seen since World War II, when the U.K. encouraged residents to plant the peppery, cabbagelike vegetable in Victory Gardens that supplemented diets impoverished by war rations.

Rich in calcium and antioxidants, the leafy green cabbage -- cousin to both Brussels sprouts and collard greens -- packs a veritable wallop of vitamins in each serving, delivering 400% of your daily needs for vitamin C, 2,000% of vitamin K and 360% of vitamin A. Take that, orange juice.

Meyer Lemons
A ripe Meyer lemon has a thin, easy-to-peel skin the color of an egg yolk and a unique sweetness attributed to its lineage -- the fruit is a cross between a traditional lemon and a Mandarin orange. Meyer lemons were imported to the U.S. in the early 1900s by an employee of the Department of Agriculture and are now grown in U.S. citrus states.

They are good for more than just eating -- the trees are relatively easy to grow and can be decorative (as well as sources of delicious fruit). For lots of ideas for uses for Meyer lemons, see the L.A. Times's 100 suggestions for Meyer lemons.