If you are like me you have no idea what time of year things are best to be picked, cooked, or served. Thanks to our friends at Simplyrecipes.com you can learn more about what is in season and pretend you are Martha Stewart at your next dinner party or in my case, open house! According to Elise, the best things to serve up in February are the following:
- Blood oranges and lemons: Blood oranges are peaking now, these juicy ruby wonders timed perfectly for Valentine’s Day. Most citrus are happiest during the dreary winter months. Now is the time to make marmalade, and anything lemony.
- Swiss chard, kale, and collards: It’s still the season for sturdy winter greens. Look for rainbow chardwith colorful stems.
- Fennel: Looks like celery, tastes like licorice, this relative of carrots and parsley is terrific shaved raw into salads, added into stews, or baked or braised.
- Leeks: The white and light green parts of leeks grow under a mound of mulch, with just the dark green leaves exposed to light. All that mulch can get in the crevices of the leeks, so make sure to slice them open and rinse thoroughly before cooking. Leeks share the allium family with onions, garlic, shallots, and chives. Think of them as giant green onions that you cook. They’re great in soups, or braised.
- Cabbage: Purple and green cabbages are winter work horses. They’ll last weeks in your fridge without going bad. Use cabbage for slaws, or for stuffing or adding to soups.
- Radicchio: Radicchio looks a little like purple cabbage, but it’s an entirely different vegetable. It’s a chicory like endive or frisée, and can be a little bitter. Shred a few leaves to add to salads. It’s delicious roasted or grilled.
- Arugula: Baby arugula is available all year long because most of what we see packaged in the market is grown indoors. But garden arugula starts making an appearance in early spring. If you garden, pick the leaves young while they are lightly peppery, but not overwhelmingly so.
- Sweet potatoes: Sweet potatoes are grown and harvested all year. There’s no particular season for them, but they are so sweet and colorful, they can brighten any winter meal!
Go to simplyrecipes.com and read more about Elise and all the delicious things she is cooking up!
Content and Photo Credit by Elise Bauer
