I got a comment from Don on Facebook asking me about tips for getting fresh produce in the kiddos diet during the winter months, and thought it was a pretty worthy topic to turn into a post. The comment/question went as follows:
Live in Ohio and could use some tips on getting more fresh produce in my kids diet during the winter months. They aren’t big fans of citrus and so-so on apples. They really like berries, but the quality really drops come winter.
Honestly, there are a lot of layers to this question for me. First, this is why I can, freeze and dehydrate fruits and veggies when they are in season. It supplements my family in the winter produce wasteland. While, I completely understand that you want to get fresh produce into your kids’ bellies {and totally salute you for it}, I too have found that some weeks, the fresh stuff just doesn’t look all that palatable. If you didn’t freeze any berries during peak season, buy a bag of frozen instead. While the texture is not the same as fresh, they were likely frozen in the height of their peak season, and will deliver nutrients.
Moving onto the actual FRESH stuff: If apples and citrus are out, not to worry. There are still plenty of “cool weather” crops that are affordable and edible this time of year. In general, in the U.S., here is a list of “in season” produce: Meyer lemons, avocados, broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, grapefruit, greens, leeks, wild mushrooms, mandarin oranges, navel oranges, pears, papaya, spinach, tangelos, and tangerines. {I know some are citrus, but I included them for the citrus-eaters who might be reading this.}
You can try chopping up some of the less palatable {by kids’ standards} veggies and tossing them into a frittata for breakfast. Soups and stews are a great way to “hide” cauliflower and other veggies among kid-approved potatoes. You can saute potentially bitter greens with bacon, for a more kid friendly veggie. Toss fresh greens in with bananas and frozen berries for a kid-friendly {and HH friendly} smoothie.
You can also start some fresh stuff indoors. Kale, arugula, spinach and salad mixes will grow pretty well for you in small pots on a window sill {or even better under a grow light}. You could also try growing sprouts to add to their sandwiches. They grow unbelievably fast and are pretty much foolproof.
Here in Washington, California strawberries will start hitting the stores in late February {not sure if you get them the same in Ohio}. So, if you can tide yourself over with the above list just until then, you’ll start seeing a whole new round of fruits and veggies hit the store–and the proverbial drought will start to come to an end.
Honestly, this question is pretty timely, given that the book I am reading this week outlines eating locally on a budget. I grabbed it from the library, but it’s also available on Amazon. You might want to check it out for more ideas on ways to get through the winter months on local, fresh produce.
I hope that helps, at least a little. Do any of you have any additional suggestions?
~Mavis
Rosaleen says
IMHO, “fresh” fruits and veggies are only important if they are consumed raw, allowing one to ingest their enzymes. Once cooked, those enzymes are pretty well deactivated, When properly handled, frozen and canned vegetables and fruits retain their minerals and most of their vitamins. Properly dehydrated items are nearly the same nutritionally, but some Vit. A and C are lost. Not sure why Vit. A, but that is what the books say. I like the sprouts idea. Maybe get the kids involved in growing them, as that may get them interested. It is at least worth a shot. Smoothies and soups can help get a lot of nutrition into the family and don’t forget that sauces can carry extra veggie goodness. I often add zucchini and/or spinach to tomato soup or spaghetti sauce, or celery and carrots to chili, for example. Finely cut, the vegetable pieces usually are not noticed.
Laura Z says
Good tips, Mavis. We eat a lot of veggie frittatas. I also add veggies to soups, stews, pot pies, and lasagna. My family likes vegetables, so I am lucky.
I make all kinds of chopped and shredded cabbage/winter green salads in the winter. Let the kids help you be creative. I make most of my dressings from scratch.
Some of our favorites —
cabbage, apple, a few dried cranberries, and pumpkin seeds. (for dressing I use yogurt/honey/poppyseed and a splash of vinegar)
cabbage, celery, carrot (dressed w/blue cheese and hot sauce if you like things “buffaloed”
napa cabbage or bok choi sliced thin with green onions, orange slices, almonds or toasted sesame seeds (dressing from sesame oil, sweet chili garlic sauce, rice wine vinegar)
carrot and red cabbage (or beet) slaw with raisins and pistachios (mild vinaigrette)
carrot ribbons (use your peeler) are a good base for most salads— I actually like a curry dressing on this
Broccoli, cauliflower, and winter squash can also be used to make a salad.
Kathleen OMeal says
Well…..YOu can still have some delicious fresh greens outside in the dead of wintr and some of these can freeze…like Tatsoi….be brought in frozen run under warm tap or otherwise … taste great…just start growing them in fall so they have about 80 -90 % growth and they will dormant a little in growth and stay pretty fresh…arugula another one that works well…
You can set up a reasonable grow rack indoors in south exposure window that keeps substantial greens coming on, carrots and more throughout the winter and early spring…problem with grow raks is that people cheat themselves out of space by going with the typical greenhouse sized flats….if they build them for 2 foot deep conatiners and at least 4 foot long containers (can be 1 foot cubes or I use 1×2 ft cubes…then on 6 shelves you get a 6×10 foot garden plot….by rotating these out when almost full grown they will continue to grow without a lot of artificial light elsewhere in the house and look fabulous in nice boxes (I decupgae mine)…so if you plant a box every day at some point in th cycle they stay on the rack in the big window or under light to be taken off and put elsewhere in th house—-so I have 24 of these sized cubes on the rack at anyone time and others decorate my home elsewhere….I seed up and germinate and let grow a little in tiny cubes (see Johnny Seed’s seed clockers) in another location that is near a warm register in the really cold months on 2 trays, which hold hundreds of these and then transplant them to the boxes….so they already have some god growth before transferring to the window box racks…..altogether then you have between 30 and 35 days of growth either on the seed germination (days after they germinate and peep trough the soil)
or on the rack…..and these greens after coming off from under the lights stay fresh enough and even grow alittle say on my table, counter top, over my frig on some rustic shelves on my wall in my kitchen…they really do not nee as mich direct light as we have all read from the experts….bottom line is that I have at least 1 foot x 2foot box loaded and heavy stocked greens and carrots and onions and what ever else I want from seed every day 365 days a year…..some fast grow greens and heirlooms work best and romaine takes a little longer but I grow it all te time this way…..whats nice is taking the tote to the table and letting everyone cut their own greens….then I go outside and get even more from under the over winter boxes…
Our family hates the wilted old produce of grocery stores and so we don’t!
I also have a freezedryer (Harvest Right….saves almost 99% of all micronutrient, enzymes totally in tact and much more) and am now freeze drying asparagus, green beans, celery, bunching onions and fruits etc……the deal with garlic and onions is that I can grow these all year round in windows without any extra grow lights and they do fine….big thing like collards and kale that have a longer grow time I freeze-dry up now….used to dehydrate but that only save about 60% nutrients an the taste is changed a little but with freeze-drying you save all of that…
everything Mavis says is really good advice….I just took a lot of horticulture in college and learned some things they didn’t teach us….
now if you make those racks attractive they really enhance your homes beauty…you don’t need th expensive T5 lights either….most of mine isn’t even under any lights at all…and you need a place in yur garage or what not so you can place some barrels of soil to change out the soil every so often but Im finding I get multiple grows….I take the whole plant up each time after the folks cut what they want and then cut some more off and put into compost bin and then put the soil blocks in their place add a little special grow sstuff I use and that’s that….costs pennies once its in operation
Laura Z says
Thanks for all the growing tips! I’ve got sprouts going on my counter and mesclun in containers indoors. I guess that I was really just emphasizing that raw salad can be seasonal, it doesn’t have to be tender summer greens with summer tomatoes, etc. Using the freezer is one of our winter mainstays.
Jessica S says
I also live in NE Ohio and week to week the availability of worthy produce differs. The biggest issue I see is that the kids don’t really like the in season offerings! lol I try to purchase the seasonal offerings as they are more cost effective and better tasting. But it also depends what is available in your area. Marcs is a local discount grocer and often times I find great quality lower priced produce. I also have great luck with Aldi produce. I almost never purchase produce at the local big chains- Acme/Giant Eagle because they are just overpriced.. My biggest score is a local family owned salvage store. it was just a bent and dent when it started but they have grown, moved, expanded and is now my 1st stop! 13 different varieties of apples at .49/lb vs the 1.69/lb across the street. HECK YEAH! You obviously have to pay attn to what you are buying, make sure no mold on berries b/c that happen so fast! But I have stopped in there for TP/PT and left with 4 pints of blueberries, 6 qts of the most amazing smelling/tasting strawberries, a bag of apples and a bag of lemons for under $15.00.
When its not affordable or worth spending $ on due to flavor.. I offer frozen fruit smoothies, or canned fruit!
Donna in VA says
Turnips and beets. Peel and cube the turnips and combine with or substitute for potatoes in soup/stew/potato dishes. My parsley has been very cold-hardy and I have learned to eat parsley salad. It is very high in nutrients.
Joanna says
My kids love roasted broccoli and would eat it every night, fighting over the last floret. I cut the florets into bite sized pieces, toss them with olive oil (or drizzle it over them), place them on a baking sheet, sprinkle with salt, and roast at 400* until the tops of the florets start to turn brown. The crispier the better, without burning.