Winter is often portrayed as a time of lack when it comes to food. However, there are a lot of delicious fruits and vegetables on offer during the colder months.
As much as it may become colder, many crops endure the cool nights to produce some of your favourite vegetables and fruits of the year.
These fruits and vegetables have their own set of properties that keep our bodies healthy during the season. They help us not just survive but thrive in any given season and are packed with natural remedies for seasonal health problems.
The team at Life is a Garden said vegetables that are available now include the brassica family, which needs cold conditions to bear fruit mass, as well as shorter days.
“Brassica family consists of the following: cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, and Brussels sprouts. Oriental vegetables perform better in cooler conditions as they do not ‘bolt’ as fast as in summer.
“Certain lettuce varieties are able to withstand extreme cold conditions, for example, butter lettuce. However, most of the ‘head’ varieties will turn to mush after a heavy frost. Celery is another winter favourite, with mature plants taking a heavy frost. Peas are also a great plant for colder conditions, along with leeks,” they said.
Ripe fruits this season include apples, avocados, bananas, lemon, naartjie, oranges, pawpaw, kiwi, grapefruit, granadillas, and gooseberries.
“Citrus is the main fruit available in this period as they require a shorter day length, as well as cool temperatures to produce flowers and fruit. Again, if these are to be purchased out of season, they will cost more due to the fact that fruit will be imported.
“Certain varieties of avocado are also in season now. Apples will be classed as in season now, although they would have been harvested in the last two months.
“Fruit trees are rarely forced to produce, and are rather imported if out of season. Pineapples are an important export for South Africa, which are harvested twice a year, one of which is about now. The demand for fruit in warmer times of the year is higher because of the availability, but also because the idea of eating cold fruit in winter is not that appealing whereas cooling down in summer with cold fruit is very appealing,” they added.
To add to the above, dietitian Shani Cohen also recommends the following for a healthy and energetic winter.
Mushrooms
Mushrooms are a great addition to any winter diet. Studies show that during winter our vitamin D (also known as the sunshine vitamin) levels drop because we spend more time indoors than outdoors in the sun. Mushrooms are a particularly great source of vitamin D.
What is even better is that you can actually further enrich your mushrooms with vitamin D naturally by simply exposing them to sunlight for about 15 minutes before cooking. You can mix them into sauces, stir-fry them or add them as a side to your eggs for breakfast.
Vegetable soup
To satisfy both our body and mind, we should be seeking out healthy comfort foods that make us feel full, warm, and satisfied. We tend to often skip out on salads because they seem unappealing in cold weather, which means it is quite common to eat fewer vegetables than we should during winter.
However, soup is a great way to get more fibre-filled vegetables into your winter diet. Soup is winter’s perfect food. You can toss just about anything into a soup pot. To save on unhealthy fats and calories, choose to make a home-made soup rather than buying from the grocery store. Store-bought soups, whether fresh or tinned, tend to be quite high in salt and often have cream added.
Make a batch of home-made soup on a Sunday for the whole week, and portion it out into individual servings. The soup can then be frozen and defrosted on the go as a quick snack, lunch, or even dinner.
Legumes
Legumes such as beans, lentils, and split peas are healthy and inexpensive protein-rich ingredients for winter recipes. They contain important nutrients like fibre and supply an impressive array of vitamins and minerals like iron, B vitamins, zinc, and magnesium.
Legumes are a great plant-based protein for those who are vegetarian, vegan, or those who simply want to include more plant-based foods in their diet.
They have a hearty and meaty taste, which is why it’s recommended to include them in soups, stews, and curries. Try to buy the dried option of legumes which you can boil up yourself instead of tinned ones as they are often preserved in salt water.
