Winter Produce Guide
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Healthy Winter Produce
As each year ends, a new season arrives. And with it a supply of fresh ingredients that offer you comfort from the cold. From hardy root vegetables to bright, sweet citrus, winter produce delivers a surprising range of flavors for you to enjoy with family and friends.
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Blood Oranges
To select, pick those that are firm to the touch and heavy for their size. Avoid any fruits with mold or spongy spots.
Recipes:
• Beet, Blood Orange, Kumquat, and Quinoa Salad
• Blood Orange Sangria
• Fennel, Blood Orange, and Watercress Salad
• Blood Orange Layer Cake
• Shrimp Salad with Blood Oranges and Slivered Fennel
See More: Season's Best: Citrus Fruits
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Beets
To select, choose small to medium beets with firm, smooth skin and no soft spots, with stems and leaves attached.
Recipes:
• Easy Pickled Beets
• Beets with Dill and Walnuts
• Spiced Beet and Carrot Soup
• Golden Beet, Greens, and Potato Torta
• Roasted Carrot and Beet Salad with Feta, Pulled Parsley, and Cumin Vinaigrette
See More: In Season: Beets
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Pomegranates
To select, choose pomegranates that feel heavy, are bright in color, and are free of blemishes.
Recipes:
• Pomegranate and Pear Jam
• Pomegranate-Orange Salsa
• Sparkling Pomegranate Cocktail
• Blackened Shrimp with Pomegranate-Orange Salsa
• Pineapple and Orange Salad with Toasted Coconut
See More: Pomegranate Power
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Kumquats
To select, test with a gentle squeeze, and buy only firm fruit.
Recipes:
• Kumquat-Cranberry Cornmeal Loaf
• Cranberry-Kumquat-Date Relish
• Kumquat Jam
• Pepper-Crusted Beef Tenderloin with Kumquat Marmalade
• Pear Relish
See More: In Season: Kumquats
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Turnips
Recipes:
• Roasted Winter Vegetables
• Beer-Braised Beef with Onion, Carrot, and Turnips
• Spicy-Sweet Turnips
• Guinness Lamb Stew
• Chickpea and Winter Vegetable Stew
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Leeks
Although leeks resemble large green onions, they're milder and sweeter. Leeks are usually cooked since they're very fibrous when raw.
To select, buy leeks with crisp leaves and blemish-free stalks.
Recipes:
• Braised Leeks with Warm Pancetta Dressing
• Leeks à la Grecque (Greek-Style Leeks)
• Halibut with Leeks
• Chicken Fried Rice with Leeks and Dried Cranberries
• Creamed Corn with Bacon and Leeks
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Parsnips
This hardy root vegetable enjoys cool climates—it requires frost to convert its starches to sugars and to develop its sweet, nutty flavor.
To select, look for small to medium-sized parsnips with beige skin. They should be blemish-free and firm.
Recipes:
• Pasta with Black Kale, Caramelized Onions, and Parsnips
• Roasted Root Vegetables
• Chicken and Parsnip Soup
• Roasted Vegetable Couscous with Chickpeas and Onion–Pine Nut Topping
• Crispy Root Vegetable Latkes with Beet Puree
See More: In Season: Parsnips
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Kale
To select, look for a deep blue-green color and choose small bunches devoid of any signs of wilting or discoloration.
Recipes:
• Bacon and Butternut Pasta
• Garbanzo Beans and Greens
• Whole-Wheat Spaghetti with Kale, Poached Eggs, and Toasted Breadcrumbs
• Apple-Walnut Kale Salad
• Braised Chicken with Kale
See More: 14 Kale Recipes
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Cranberries
To select, you probably won't be able to choose them individually, so check the see-through plastic to make sure you get bright, intensely colored berries.
Recipes:
• Cranberry, Cherry, and Walnut Chutney
• Classic Cranberry Sauce
• Upside-Down Cranberry-Ginger Cake
• Orange-Cranberry Pork Stew
• Cranberry Curd
See More: Cranberry Sauce and Relish Recipes
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Lemons
To select, look for smooth, brightly-colored skin (green means under-ripe), and lemons that feel heavy for their size.
Recipes:
• Meyer Lemon Chicken
• Lemon-Earl Grey Squares
• Meyer Lemon Panna Cotta
• Lemony Chicken Saltimbocca
• Seriously Lemon Tart
See More: 10 Things to Know About Lemons
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Oranges
To select, choose firm oranges that have smooth skins and are not moldy. Don't worry about brown patches on the skin; this does not indicate poor quality.
Recipes:
• Oranges with Caramel and Cardamom Syrup
• Broccoli Slaw with Oranges and Crunchy Noodles
• Pineapple and Orange Salad with Toasted Coconut
• Tomato-Citrus Salmon
• Tuscan Cake with Citrus Compote