What's FRESH in Winter?

Winter is here! Time to turn to those comfort foods and get excited about foods that are in season; fruits, savory greens, veggies, hearty meats and lots of fresh mushrooms.

Humans have learned to preserve food in a varitety of ways. Through fermentation we turn our vegetables into sour, pickled treats; our fruits and grains into wine or beer; our fresh milk into aged cheeses, etc. Canning allows us to enjoy the summer-fresh flavor of tomatoes, corn, and green beans long after the warm weather has gone. Freezing and drying are also options as almost anything fresh can be frozen or dried.

Winter is a great time to be creative in the kitchen, finding inspiration in dried herbs and spices as well as root vegetables, winter squash, and apples. This is also a great time to eat wild game like bison or venison, just harvested and bagged in season.

So what's in season? Depending on where you live, the following foods may be in season:
Herbs: garlic

Salad greens: lettuce and spinach

Cooking greens: asian greens, beet greens, collards, kale, mustard
greens, spinach, Swiss chard, turnip greens

Garden veggies: beets, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, carrots,
cauliflower,
celery, leeks, onion, parsnips, potatoes, pumpkins,
scallions, sweet potatoes, turnips, winter squash

Fruits: apples, cranberries, figs, pears

Wild: cattail shoots, chickweed, garlic mustard, onion grass, watercress

Nuts and Seeds: hazelnuts, peanuts, pecans, walnuts, pumkin and winter
squash seeds

Mushrooms: black trumpet, candy cap, cauliflower, chanterelle, truffles,
wood blewitt, wood hedgehog

Winter recipe #1: Baked Beets in Bechamel

4 medium beets, peeled and cut into 1/4 inch slices
1/2 cup water
3 T butter
1 shallot, minced
3 T all-purpose flour
1 cup milk
1/4 dry white wine
salt and pepper
pinch of freshly grated nutmeg

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Arrange the beets in a 9X13 inch baking dish. Add the water. Cover tightly, and bake for about 45 minutes, until the beets are fork-tender.
Meanwhile, melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the shallot and saute until softened, about 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the flour to form a smooth paste. Slowly whisk in the milk and wine, and bring to boil. The sauce will thicken. Remove from the heat and season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg.
Pour the sauce over the beets. Return to the oven and bake, uncovered, for about 10 minutes, until the sauce is bubbling and golden around the edges.
Serve hot; serves 6.
- Recipe from the Root Cellar by Andrea Chesman