The holiday season is such an exciting time of year, with lots of opportunities to spend time with family and friends, go to parties and festive events, a whirlwind of gift-shopping and gift-giving, and plenty of reasons to cook up a storm in the kitchen. The season can border on being overwhelming, though. Schedules can get a little too busy, savings accounts seem to shrink mysteriously overnight, and Aunt Clara’s famous Triple-Decker-Chocolate-Peppermint-Dream Cake tasted good but put everyone into a food coma. Here at Be Well Lake County, we have a small solution to help out with some of this — our new Harvest of the Month featured recipes.
The Harvest of the Month program began in schools across the state of California as a way to educate kids about seasonal eating, and how when you eat a fruit or vegetable that’s grown near you, it tastes better than one that was grown somewhere far away in the off-season. The most famous example is probably the tomato: juicy, red summer tomatoes, picked fresh off the vine, taste infinitely better than the under-ripe, flavorless tomatoes shipped in during the middle of the winter. The program has been a big hit, and does a great job of highlighting the freshest, tastiest fruits and vegetables: sweet summer melons, rainbows of cherry tomatoes, cool and crunchy cucumbers. As part of the program’s success, it has spread to other venues where people buy and eat food, like grocery stores. If you’ve ever noticed the produce sales in the grocery stores, you know that stores often mark down seasonal produce because it’s naturally abundant, so you’re getting the best tasting produce for an affordable price. Be Well Lake County has teamed up with the Farm to School Program to perfect a series of delicious seasonal recipes highlighting the Harvests of the Month, and they’re teaming up with participating grocery stores to offer them at no charge to customers. The recipes are fresh, simple and family-friendly, and best of all — easy on the pocketbook.
During the holiday season, grocery stores offer great prices and a good selection of Apples and Winter Squash, the November and December Harvests of the Month. Participating grocery stores who will be offering recipe cards are: Foods Et Cetera in Clearlake, Lakeview Market in Lucerne, Bruno’s in Lakeport, and all the Hardesters’ Markets in Cobb, Middletown and Hidden Valley Lake. The recipes are simple enough for a weekday meal, but are delicious enough to be at home on your holiday table.
Hungry yet? Why not try out this recipe for Roasted Winter Vegetables — It’s a perfect Thanksgiving side dish, but you can also make up a big batch to leave in the fridge for quick lunches. Try using them as a topping for greens, grains or both, for a filling, wholesome meal that’s tastes good and is also good for you.
