Winter veggies Spruced up seasonal favourites :: Food and Nutrition

Winter veggies
by author Irene McGuinness

The humble winter vegetable is a new trendsetter, and it’s popping up all over the place in a whole new wardrobe. For many years it was sidestepped for brighter, tropical, trendier veggies. But today our homegrown bounty is fresh and tasty— not boiled limp like Mom used to do.

Spurred on by global warming, the Slow Food movement, economics, or homeland pride, we’re seeing more and more in-season winter bounty taking charge of the dinner plate. And the driving force is not just our carbon footprint but the tremendous versatility of its cooking properties.

Restaurants clearly are the forerunners igniting this trend as they whip up amazing new twists on gnarly roots and strong-tasting winter greens. There’s nothing like a little international fusion coming home to roost on local bounty—without destroying all those healthy nutrients.

Boost your vitamin intake and kick up the flavour on winter veggies. Cook up some of our tried and true recipes featured here. Dress them up and take them out for dinner. You’ll love the results.

Irene McGuinness is managing director of I.M. Marketing Ltd. As a writer/developer she was associate food editor for Chatelaine and food editor for Ottawa Magazine and BC Woman Magazine.

Source: alive #325, November 2009

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