Market Watch: Winter Produce
Just because it’s winter doesn’t mean you can’t get your hands on local produce. Eating locally year round is easier if you live in California or Florida but here’s how I do it in Connecticut.
Farmers are extra good at holding on to their harvests. If you didn’t turn your own summer bounty into a winter-friendly form, stop by a local farm or winter market to find baked goods, pickles, honey, jams and relish.
Hearty items like apples, potatoes, winter squash and carrots are often available from farm storage deep into winter. Farmers use special methods and temperature-controlled storage cellars to keep foods fresh for months, when they would only last weeks (tops) in a home kitchen.
Many farms are still able to grow lettuce, arugula, leeks, herbs and winter greens like Swiss chard and kale in year-round greenhouses.
My local farm offers a winter CSA program. Just this week the box was filled with fresh lettuce, apples, cilantro, Swiss chard, mizuna and gorgeous French breakfast radishes.
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Dana Angelo White, MS, RD, ATC, is a registered dietitian, certified athletic trainer and owner of Dana White Nutrition, Inc., which specializes in culinary and sports nutrition. See Dana's full bio »
