Healthy Bytes

We have gone over a number of Thanksgiving staples over the last few days - all wonderful seasonal foods. This year more than ever I am determined to keep the foods on our table seasonal – fresh and local. Why? Fresh foods are more nutritious – nutrients degrade rapidly after harvest so local seasonal foods spend less time in transit to my table.

So what’s in season?

All the cruciferous veggies:

Broccoli
Broccoli Romanesque
Broccoflower
Cauliflower – check out the orange and purple varieties!
Kale
Collards
Chinese Broccoli aka Gai Lan
Brussels Sprouts
Cabbage

How about leafy Greens?

Spinach
Mustard
Bok Choys of all varieties
Swiss Chard
Rapini

Bulbs and Roots and Tubers?

Fennel
Artichokes
Beets
Turnips
Rutabagas
Celery Root
Carrots
Radishes – try the colorful watermelon radish
Yams
Sweet Potatoes – ever try the purple Okinawan variety?

And we have Squashes…

Butternut
Acorn
Kabocha
Delicata
Hubbard
Pumpkins of all shapes and sizes

We have the last of the figs but every season brings plenty of sweet fruits to enjoy

Apples – for fun try the ‘new’ heirloom varieties like Arkansas Blacks
Pears
Asian Pears
Pomegranates
Quince
Cranberries
Pineapple Guavas – maybe your friendly neighbor will have a tree – quite common in the East Bay Area.
And look - the start of citrus season…grapefruits, tangerines, mandarin oranges, meyer lemons, navel oranges, pommelos

With all this local bounty – pass on the south of the border Asparagus and pass the roasted Brussels Sprouts.

read time: 158 words, about a minute

The terms “Sweet potato” and “yam” are used interchangeably; however, they are two different species… both good.

Yams are the tuber (root) of a tropical vine and traditional in West Indian and Nigerian cuisine.

Sweet potatoes are a tuber as well - native to Central America.

Yams are generally sweeter with more natural sugar.

Sweet potatoes come in many varieties, of two basic types:
- Thin, light yellow skinned with pale flesh. Less sweet, more dry and similar to white potatoes.
- Darker and thicker skinned with orange, sweeter and moister flesh.

Low in calories, saturated fat, cholesterol and sodium. Good source of fiber.
You know what orange means… high in carotenoids. A sweet potato has about twice the RDA of Vitamin A. They’re also a good source of Vitamins B6 & C, potassium, riboflavin, pantothenic acid, folic acid, copper, calcium, manganese, iron and thiamine.

Butter - not margarine - is a good topper. And cinnamon is an excellent topper. Marshmallows - a no no.