January Veggies and Recipes

Garden Winter Savory

Frosty Dream Time

Here in the Northern Hemisphere, we’re in that dark, cold time of year. Today is the Epiphany, the official end of the Christmas season, when the wise men finally arrived in Bethlehem. We’ve baked and prepared our feasts, eaten our treats, given and received our gifts, celebrated the New Year, and made our list of goals for 2013 (or not). What now? May I boldly suggest some rest? (A vastly underrated commodity in the US.) It seems likely that the wise men spent some time hanging out with Jesus and deeply contemplating his birth, rather than rushing off to their next destination. Let’s take some time this month to contemplate our own lives and how we want our 2013 to be. If we give ourselves some time to imagine ourselves where we want to be, it just might be easier to get there.

UCBG Japanese Garden: January Sunset

Most of the fields continue to rest and rejuvenate this month, especially at higher latitudes. In California we’re harvesting root crops like carrots, beets, potatoes, parsnips, and radishes. Carrots get sweeter with every freezing night, at least that’s what my mom says. We still have pumpkins, cranberries, winter squash, apples, and pears in storage. All sorts of hearty braising greens like chard, bok choy, kale, and collards continue to be harvested, as do cruciferous veggies like cauliflower, broccoli, and cabbage. It’s the end of persimmon season, but I still have enough ripening to make them into jam with citrus and ginger. It’s the height of citrus season, so do let oranges, tangerines, lemons, and limes brighten dark days and nights.

Hot foods satisfy best at this time of year. Soups, stews, curries, and mixed veggie sautés are good choices. January is also National Egg Month, so try some omelets and frittatas with this alternative protein. I might even attempt a soufflé. According to my nutritionist friend Mira over at Grains & More, if eggs are cooked right, they’re healthful and do not increase blood cholesterol. If you dried tomatoes, froze garden tomato sauce, or canned berries or jam last year, it’s a perfect month to revisit them.

Enjoy your month and do allow yourself some relaxation and dreaming time, along with the skiing, skating, cold weather hikes, and other seasonal activities.

(Turbin?) Squash Reseeding in Neighbor's Garden

January Fruits and Veggies

Asian Greens

Beets

Broccoli

Brussels Sprouts

Cabbage

Carrots

Collard Greens

Fennel

Kale

Leeks

Lemons

Lettuce

Wild Mushrooms

Onions

Parsnips

Potatoes

Pumpkin

Radishes

Rosemary

Spinach

Turnips & Rutabaga

Winter Squash

Yams

Apples (stored)

Pears (stored)

Cranberries (stored)

Limes

Oranges

Creek in Winter: UC Botanical Garden, Berkeley

Favorite and New January Recipes

Curried Pork & Pumpkin Stew

*Spicy Tomato-Poached Fish with Veggies

*Herb Steamed Fish with Veggies

*Rosemary Chicken with Fennel
*Fresh Dungeness Crab

Turkey Drumstick Dinner

Orange Glazed Cornish Hens

*Steamed Dungeness Crab

*Carrot Souffle

Warm Brussels Sprout Salad with Bacon

*Spaghetti Squash with Herbed Turkey Meatballs and Sauce

*Winter Veggie Frittata

No-Milk Potato Leek Soup

Escarole & White Bean Soup with Bacon

*Gwen’s Winter Greens Soup

*Polish Beet Soup: Simple Borscht

Mom’s Cole Slaw

*Cranberry Orange Relish

*Hot Carrot Chard Salad
Carrot Curry with Banana & Orange

*Sauteed Chanterelles

Sweet & Sour Herbed Cabbage & Carrots

Orange Spiced Carrots

*Un-stuffed Cabbage Casserole

Baked Kabocha Squash with Collard Greens

*Roasted Beets with Apple Cider Glaze

*Baked Butternut Squash

*Ruby Root Vegetable Slaw with Miso Dressing

African Inspired Spicy Pumpkin with Peanuts & Spinach

Pumpkin Cranberry Muffins

Raisin-Date Persimmon Muffins or Cake

Persimmon Bar Cookies with Chocolate Chunks

Persimmon Cake Roll
Persimmon Pudding

*Poached Pears

Peppermint Frosted Brownies

Hot Cocoa or Hot Cocoa Toddy

Persimmon-Tangerine-Lemon-Ginger Marmalade

Chen Pi = Dried Tangerine Peel: make now to enjoy later

* recommended for post-holiday weight loss

Winter Rains