Photo by Shelley Pauls.
Springtime and summertime here in the fertile Hudson Valley have given us a diverse bounty of delicious vegetables, thanks to so many ambitious, eager, and motivated farmers pursuing sustainability and providing us with perhaps the most nutritious food on the globe. Many such veggies are not just delicious, but delicate—like arugula, snow peas, heirloom lettuces, spinach, Swiss chard, parsley, specialty summer squash, and all of those juicy tomatoes—calling to be eaten right away, at the peak of their freshness.
As cool air begins to shroud the farms, we are nonetheless still provided with an abundance of autumn and winter produce. Delicate leaves and fruits are now replaced with sturdy varieties that will keep well for months, perfect for hearty autumn and winter recipes.
Here, I highlight 11 veggies that are ideal for storing (and savoring) through the fall and winter: cabbage, kohlrabi, rutabagas, turnips, garlic, onions, shallots, carrots, parsnips, beets, and winter squash. There are many others, but these are some of my favorites from across five of our eight main families of vegetables, which I explain in detail in my recently released book, Veggie Smarts: A Doctor and Farmer Grows and Savors Eight Families of Vegetables. So many of these sturdy, savory, healthy veggies are available during the remaining weeks of farmers markets, at local farm stands before they close for the cold season, and through community supported agriculture (CSA) farm shares, especially those offering winter shares.
the brassicas
Among the Brassicas, a number of green ones, as well as several root vegetables, store well. The various types of cabbage and kohlrabi can be harvested just before or after the first frost, after the cool air has sweetened and enhanced their flavors. Stored in a cool, dark, humid place (like a root cellar, or if you don’t have one of those, as most of us don’t, the refrigerator), they will last for several months. Regularly check them for any signs of decay and remove spoiled items to prevent them from affecting the rest of the produce in the fridge. Among the Brassica root vegetables, rutabagas and turnips keep well—for weeks or up to a few months—in a cool, moist environment, again, either a root cellar or the refrigerator.
the alliums
Among the Alliums, garlic, onions, and shallots, once cured, have a very long shelf-life compared to other Alliums, like scallions (which are basically just young onions), chives, and leeks. Garlic, onions, and shallots do best in a cool, dry, well-ventilated area. When properly cured and stored, they last all the way through the fall, winter, and spring until the fresh summer onions are again ready for pulling on the farm. What is curing? As I explain in Veggie Smarts, the goal is to prepare the harvest in a way that will optimize its storability and reduce rot and spoilage while retaining juiciness inside.
Photo by Shelley Pauls.
Photo by Shelley Pauls.
The onions, for example, are harvested in late summer when the green tops turn yellow and flop over, indicating that photosynthesis and growth are complete. I lay them out in a single layer on a netted structure I designed to fit in the tractor shed. For the next 3 weeks, the tractor might well get rained on, but the curing onions definitely will not. The key is good ventilation and no direct sunlight. All remaining green tops turn brown, and the skins become dry and papery. Cured! A scissor snip to trim the roots and another to cut back the tops to about an inch, and the garlic, onions, and shallots are ready to be stored.
the umbellifers and the chenopods
Among the Umbellifers, both carrots and parsnips keep well for long periods; like the other root vegetables, they do best in a cool, moist environment (again, the root cellar or the refrigerator), and among the Chenopods, beets are equally well suited to be stored for several months.
the cucurbits
But perhaps most important are the winter squash from among the Cucurbits. I consider delectable delicata squash to be an autumn squash rather than a winter squash; it only keeps for a few weeks rather than many months. So enjoy delicata in September and October.
Photo by Emma Miller.
Photo by Emma Jane Hobden.
Photo by David Trinks.
But then ensure a supply of delicious acorn, baby blue Hubbard, buttercup, butternut, kabocha, red kuri, and spaghetti squash, as well as pie pumpkins and others—these are gold-standard winter squash that will keep well for months. Like garlic, onions, and shallots, they need a cool, dry, well-ventilated area. You’ll be making roasted acorn squash with apples and maple syrup, butternut squash soup, kabocha pie, and so many other winter delights across all of our cold months.
storage
Of course, there are other ways to enjoy spring- and summer-grown produce in the fall and winter. My preferred method is freezing excess veggies at the peak of their ripeness. Compared to canning, which is a long-honored technique among many of our grannies, I find frozen vegetables to taste even fresher. And it’s much easier than canning. But there remains a place for canning jars.
Think strawberry jam, prepared in mid-June, as a year-long supply of deliciousness until the strawberries are again ripe next year. I also can pomodoro sauce and salsa, and I bottle hot sauce and crème de framboise (black raspberry liqueur; think Chambord). And finally, I dry herbs for a winter-long supply of flavors that pair perfectly with a big pot of braised cabbage or a broad pan of roasted winter squash—like dried fennel seeds and dried sage, both very easy to prepare and store, which are a delightful reminder of summertime for the wintertime countertop.
Photo by Robert Zunikoff.
Photo by Pixabay.
recipe: roasted kohlrabi
Photo by Iuliia Antonova.
Photo by Silvia ND.
I leave you with a simple recipe from Veggie Smarts, from among others that include shallot salad dressing, roasted beets, honey roasted carrots, and roasted winter squash. This edition? Kohlrabi!
Serves 4
Prep: 10 min- Cook: 20-30 min
ingredients
• 4 kohlrabi
• 1-2 tablespoons olive oil
• salt and pepper
• red pepper flakes
• 1/2 cup grated hard cheese (like Pecorino, Parmigiano-Reggiano, or Grana Padano)
• chopped parsley or chives
directions
1. Peel each kohlrabi, and slice into wedges, like steak fries.
2. Toss the wedges with 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil and lay them out, barely touching, on a flat roasting pan.
3. Sprinkle the wedges with salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes.
4. Add/sprinkle grated cheese.
5. Roast at 425 to 450 degrees for 20-30 min
6. Chop and sprinkle parsley or chives. Serve and enjoy! Buon appetito!
Dr. Compton is a Columbia University professor board certified in psychiatry, preventive medicine, and lifestyle medicine (www.drcompton.health). He is author of Veggie Smarts: A Doctor and Farmer Grows and Savors Eight Families of Vegetables, published by Regalo Press, which incorporates philanthropy into book publishing. As part of Regalo’s mission, a donation is being made to the Hudson Valley CSA Coalition, facilitated by the Glynwood Center for Regional Food and Farming, as chosen by the author.
