Gourmet head lettuce, Cherry Belle radish, broccoli, various local organically grown mushrooms, squash and zucchini, Brussels sprouts, rainbow carrots, cilantro—an incredible harvest for the dead of winter! Hats off to farmer Harleston Towles!

Since the new year began, many of my conversations with family and friends have centered around the foods we’re eating, and sharing ideas for preparing diverse ingredients—mostly veggies. There’s nothing like food for bringing people together. What a great start to 2022!

I’m thrilled to see the Lions Mane mushrooms that popped up in my Twenty Bag—in fact, I’ll take any mushroom I can get my hands on, I love them all! Try them sauteed in good olive oil, seasoned with sea salt and pepper, then finished with a pinch of thyme. Use them within a day or two, and store in a moisture-wicking brown paper bag.

Roots and tubers like carrots, and also radishes (though actually a member of the cabbage family) do well refrigerated in a plastic bag, minus the leafy tops. Slice thin discs of these super healthy veggies into a salad, or mix chunks with head lettuces and leafy greens for my beet juice-based power smoothie. Store the unwashed lettuces in a zip-top and/or reusable bag.

Or…

Sprinkle the beautiful baby rainbow carrots with ras el hanout and roast them in the oven for a side I found on the menu of The Kingstide—a unique approach that transforms the carrots into a warmly spiced dish elevated with a swirl of yogurt.

Squash and zucchini are also moisture-averse, so store them unwashed in the crisper. Check out a recipe for zucchini pancakes from the Food Network’s Ina Garten for a breakfast or brunchtime treat!

Or…

Warm up your kitchen with this toasty recipe for squash casserole from Helen Fields of Fields Farm on Johns Island.

The broccoli will keep, stored in a sealed container, for up to two weeks. Sheet pan roast it when you’re ready to use it, sprinkled with Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, and for a little extra kick—sub a dash of soy sauce for the salt.

I unearthed a recipe a dear friend shared with me eons ago that combines Brussels sprouts with chestnuts and heavy cream for a cold weather dish that’s as impressive as it’s comforting. Store these beauties in a reusable bag.

The zesty cilantro will hang out in a cup of water, presenting as a pretty bouquet, until it goes into a salad or a salsa Bobby Flay pairs with grilled fish tacos. Yum!

Cilantro soaking up some H2O with the leafy radish tops that looked so good they’ll go into tonight’s salad.

Hop to Preserving Your Produce (Correctly)—and Your Sanity for an in depth writeup from Lesley Stockton/ The New York Times and a fun chart you can print out and stick on the fridge for easy reference.

Happy cooking, y’all!