Seasonal Cooking For January

**This is our monthly series that aims to help you cook more seasonally (visit the first one, Seasonal Cooking For May, for an introduction and definition of “seasonal”)**

January has to be the hardest month for eating seasonally. February probably runs a close second. Wait. On second thought, maybe February is the hardest. I know that’s when, to me at least, it’s felt like winter long enough that I cave and buy a red pepper or a hard store tomato out of desperation. Sigh.

January or February- let’s just call it even. Both will have short in-season produce lists that look like this:

Produce in season for January:

• Apples (stored)
• Avocados
• Broccoli
• Brussels Sprouts
• Cabbage
• Carrots/Parsnips (stored)
• Cauliflower
• Celery
• Chard/Kale
• Citrus (lemon, orange, grapefruit)
• Garlic (stored)
• Leeks
• Mushrooms
• Onions (stored)
• Pears
• Potatoes (stored)
• Turnips/Rutabagas
• Winter Squash (stored)
• Yams/Sweet Potatoes

From the freezer and pantry:

• Tomato products (Roasted Tomato Sauce, Addictive Chutney, canned plain tomatoes, seasoned sauce and garden salsa)
• Frozen corn and green beans
• Frozen blackberries, raspberries, and strawberries
• Pickled foods: cucumbers, beans, and asparagus
• Sauces and condiments: Plum sauce, chutneys, jams, etc.
• Oil-packed dried tomatoes
• Frozen chopped sweet peppers
• Dried fruit
• Dried herbs

So, what do we make in January and still try to eat seasonally? Well, soups for one- they’re warming and easy to make with canned and frozen produce. Here are a few of our favorites:

 

Better-than-canned Homemade Tomato Soup 

Chicken Noodle Soup – one of the simplest soups to make there is! 

Italian Vegetable Beef Soup – pull out the slow cooker for this one! 

Mexican Chicken-Corn Soup – we love this for using up some of our frozen garden corn.And what would be soup without bread?

 

My favorite Flaky Whole Wheat Biscuit recipe is the one I go to when I need a great bread quickly. It’s easy and done in about 30 minutes!

 

When I have just a bit more time, I might make this Simple French Baguette (it’s made quickly in a food processor, but then does need a couple hours to rise) which we’ve affectionately dubbed, “The bread you can’t stop eating.”  Yeah…I don’t make it very often.

Of course this is the time of year we also like “meat and potato” kind of meals- like meatloaf or chicken with roasted vegetables and pasta dishes like Simple Baked Pasta. What kind of meals do you make in the depths of January?

–Jami