Photo courtesy: Zone Fresh
The majority of your favourite fresh fruit and vegetables can now be found year-round at your local grocer due to advances in shipping and handling technologies, cultivation and growing techniques as well as farming innovations such as hydroponics. However, all fresh produce still has a natural season in which it will flourish, and produce the best crops.
Some of the fresh produce items in season this winter include:
Cauliflower
Nutritional information: cauliflowers are an excellent source of vitamin C as well as a good source of foliate and fibre.
Easy storage and preparation: cauliflower heads will keep for up to a week in the refrigerator. Before cooking, remove the leaves and core, and divide florets into even-sized pieces.
Best uses: boil in salted water for 6 to 10 minutes. Serve hot with cheese, bread crumbs, caraway seeds, paprika or parsley; or try it raw in salads.
Snow Peas
Nutritional information: snow peas are a great source of vitamin C.
Easy storage and preparation: snow peas will keep for a few days in the refrigerator. Remove the string before cooking.
Best uses: boil uncovered in salted water for 1 to 2 minutes, until tender but crisp. Or, steam over a couple of inches of water for 2 to 5 minutes. Add to stir-fries with ginger and garlic or chill and toss in salads.
Celeriac
Nutritional information: celeriac is an excellent source of vitamin C. Good source of calcium and iron.
Easy storage and preparation: the root will keep for a week or more in a cool, dry place. Wash and peel when ready to use.
Best uses: celeriac is delicious raw in coleslaw. Try it in stews, braised with your roasts or boiled and added to mashed potatoes for a new flavour.
Artichokes
Nutritional information: artichokes are an excellent source of fibre and vitamin C and a good source of magnesium, folate, copper, potassium and phosphorus.
Easy storage and preparation: trim the stem and place artichoke, stem-end down, in water. They'll keep in the refrigerator for a few days. When ready to cook, trim the stem end and the first few bottom leaves of the artichoke. Cut off the top inch of the head to remove the thorny tips of the uppermost leaves. After each cut, rub with lemon to prevent discoloration.
Best uses: try steaming for 30 to 45 minutes. Check for doneness by piercing the bottom with a knife; it should slide in easily. Serve immediately with either olive oil or lemon wedges. To serve cold, plunge into ice water to chill thoroughly, drain upside down, and serve with vinaigrette.
Broccoli
Nutritional information: broccoli is an excellent source of vitamin C and a good source of folate, fibre, calcium, and iron.
Easy storage and preparation: it will keep for three days or more if refrigerated.To use, rinse and remove the outer leaves and tough stems. Cut tender stems and florets into even-sized pieces.
Best uses: broccoli can be used raw in salads or as a crudité. To cook, place in boiling salted water for 8 to 12 minutes. Lemon juice, cheese, parsley and dill partner well. Broccoli can also be enjoyed steamed, this method of cooking also helps to keep a majority of beneficial nutrients intact.
About fruits
Fruits can be more sensitive to seasonal influences than vegetables with the majority of fresh fruits in season over the spring and summer months. However, citrus fruits such as mandarins and oranges as well as pears and grapefruit are naturally at their best during winter.
