Winter may be a time for hibernation, but that doesn’t mean your love for local food needs to take a rest too.
Here are six ways to start incorporating local food into your winter diet, support local Greenbelt farmers and producers, and create healthy and delicious meals for the long winter ahead.
- Find in-season vegetables at a local farmers’ market. With so many open, why not try one this week: The Village Market in Thornhill, St. Catharines Farmers’ Market in St. Catharines, Hamilton Farmers’ Market in Hamilton, or Dufferin Grover Farmers’ Market in Toronto.
- Visit one of 40 farms open all-year round. Make your way to a Greenbelt farm to purchase the freshest in-season vegetables - there are plenty of options to choose from. Don’t forget you can buy local meat as well!
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Pay for a share at a local CSA. This ensures a weekly supply of delicious vegetables all winter long. Check availability at Lunar Rhythm Gardens in Eastern Durham Region, Round the Bend Farm in Northern York Region, Whole Circle Farm in Northern Halton Region, Honest Field Farms in North of Hamilton, and Creek Shore Farms in Northern Niagara Region.
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Get local wine delivered to your home with this tool. You can also explore the many wineries open in winter here.
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Need in-season meal ideas? Click on the meal idea for the recipe.
Apples: Make apple crisp for dessert.
Beets: Enjoy an oven roasted side dish of beets or make a creamy beet soup.
Carrots: Create my personal favourite the carrot cake, and let’s not forget about carrot soup.
Leeks: Creamy potato leek soup, need we say more? Or a leek, mushroom and goat cheese quiche.
Mushrooms: Serve some delicious creamy mushroom soup.
Potatoes: Everyone’s favourite potato latkes can show up at each meal. Or you can make the best winter vegetable curry to warm you up throughout those chilly days.
Get more meal ideas here.
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Celebrate the Year of the Pulses by eating as many local beans as possible. Ontario has 147,000 acres of pulses, predominantly outside of the Greenbelt. To get you started on adding more pulses to your diet try our kidney bean chili recipe.
– Andreea Nicoara
