Get your fix of fresh fruits and vegetables all winter long! More than 25 delicious varietals are in season from December through February and easy to add to your diet. The best part? Because they’re in season, they’re often cheaper than other fruits and veggies sold at the store and will be abundant at your local farmer’s market. Learn about these vitamin-rich, cold-weather foods that will help keep you healthy this winter season!
FRUITS
Winter Citrus: Lemons, Limes, and Oranges
Apple
Nutritional benefits: Fiber, Vitamin C, Potassium, and antioxidants.
Enjoy it: Sliced and paired with peanut or sun butter or baked and sprinkled with cinnamon.
Avocado
Nutritional benefits: Fiber, Vitamin E, and Potassium.
Enjoy it: Mash and layer on toast topped with some spices for tasty avocado toast.
Banana
Nutritional benefits: Fiber, Vitamins B6, A, C, Magnesium, Potassium.
Enjoy it: Peel and eat them as is or top it with your favorite nut or seed butter. You can also freeze them and throw it in the blender to thicken a smoothie.
Grapefruit
Nutritional benefits: Fiber, Vitamin A & C, and Potassium.
Enjoy it: Peel it and eat it like an orange or add sliced wedges to your oatmeal or yogurt.
Kiwi
Nutritional benefits: Vitamin C, Potassium, Fiber, and Zinc.
Enjoy it: Peel the thin brown skin and eat them in halves as a tasty snack or add to smoothies for a tangy twist!
Add lemon slices to water
Top toast with avocado for a savory snack.
Lemon
Nutritional benefits: Vitamins B6 & C, and Potassium.
Enjoy it: Add slices to water for an energy boost or squeeze it over fish, chicken, or salads.
Lime
Nutritional benefits: Vitamin C & B6, Iron, Calcium, and Potassium.
Enjoy it: Add lime juice to a hearty chicken broth soup or make a mocktail with a dash of lime syrup, lime juice and fresh mint in sparkling water.
Orange
Nutritional benefits: Vitamin C, Thiamin, Fiber, and Folate.
Enjoy it: Peel off the skin and eat the slices or adding citrus flavor to fish or chicken by squeezing the juice on top.
Add fresh or frozen pineapple to your smoothie
Pears look festive and taste great on salads
Pear
Nutritional benefits: Fiber, Vitamins C & K, and Potassium.
Enjoy it: Eat whole or core and slice it for a snack. Add to salads or bake them with cinnamon, ginger and/or vanilla for a healthy dessert.
Pineapple
Nutritional benefits: Manganese, Vitamins A, K & C, Zinc, and Phosphorous.
Enjoy it: Peel, core and slice it into chunks to enjoy as is or add (fresh or frozen) to a smoothie. It’s delicious grilled and served as a side dish with teriyaki chicken.
Pumpkin
Nutritional benefits: Fiber, Magnesium, Vitamins A&C, and Potassium.
VEGETABLES
Winter Vegetables: Beets, Cabbage, Yams
Beets
Nutritional benefits: Manganese, Potassium, Iron, Vitamin C, and Folate.
Enjoy it: Shave into thin slices and eat raw, roast them and serve with goat cheese, or add it to a chopped salad.
Brussels Sprouts
Nutritional benefits: Vitamin K, A & C, Folate, and Fiber.
Enjoy it: Toss with olive oil, salt and pepper before roasting for a savory side dish.
Cabbage
Nutritional benefits: Fiber, Vitamins K, C & B6, Folate, and Manganese.
Enjoy it: Serve raw as a crunchy coleslaw, braised on the stove for a meaty stew, cooked in the slow cooker or even grilled.
Carrots
Nutritional benefits: Vitamin A & K, Biotin, and Phytochemicals.
Enjoy it: Eat them whole, sliced, chopped or shredded and added to salads and soups for a sweet, crunchy flavor.
Celery
Nutritional benefits: Vitamin K, Molybdenum, Potassium, Fiber, and Folate.
Enjoy it: Make “Ants on a Log”: A kid-friendly snack of celery stalks topped with peanut butter and sprinkled with raisins.
Collard Greens
Nutritional benefits: Vitamin A, K & C, Calcium, and Iron.
Enjoy it: Add to stir-fries, shredd into casseroles, or mix into your favorite chili.
Brussels sprouts grow on stalks
Kale
Nutritional benefits: Vitamins A, K, B6 & C, Calcium, Potassium, Copper, and Manganese.
Enjoy it: Raw in smoothies, salads, or sautéed with a little olive oil, lemon juice, and spices.
Leeks
Nutritional benefits: Magnesium, Vitamins A,K & C.
Enjoy it: Grill or roast them as a side dish or add them to soups, pasta, and pizza.
Onions
Nutritional benefits: Vitamins C & B6, Potassium, and Folate.
Enjoy it: Dice them and add to guacamole, or thinly slice and caramelize them on the stove to add to a stir-fry, salad, or as a topping to meat.
Parsnips
Nutritional benefits: Calcium, Vitamin C, Iron, Folate, and Magnesium.
Enjoy it: Roast them and serve with pork, chicken, or beef.
Potatoes
Nutritional benefits: Vitamins B1, 3 &6, Potassium, Phosphorous, Magnesium.
Enjoy it: Boil and mash or throw them in the oven and serve a baked potato bar alongside your favorite toppings.
Rutabagas
Nutritional benefits: Potassium, Calcium, Magnesium, Vitamins E and C.
Enjoy it: Roasted, cooked, or mashed into casseroles, stews, and soups.
Winter squash come in a variety of shapes, sizes, and colors
Add garlic when cooking onions or roasting vegetables
Sweet Potatoes and Yams
Nutritional benefits: Vitamins B, C, D, Calcium, Iron, Magnesium, and Potassium.
Enjoy it: Roast alone or with other veggies, add to chili, or bake them in the oven and serve with a small amount of butter and cinnamon or salt and pepper.
Turnips
Nutritional benefits: Calcium, Folate, Magnesium, Potassium, and Vitamin C.
Enjoy it: Bake or boil and add to stews, soups, and stir-fries.
Winter Squash
Nutritional benefits: Vitamins B6 &C, Fiber, Magnesium, and Potassium.
Enjoy it: Roast alone or with other root vegetables and serve as a side dish or add to salads.
