Winter is a special time at the Prescott Farmers Market, when local growers work a bit of magic to produce a wide variety of vibrant, delicious, and nutrient-packed foods.
On a typical Saturday at the Winter Market, you’ll find crunchy sweet carrots, tender baby beets, a variety of baby greens, flavorful scallions and leeks, crisp, colorful radicchio, endive, and escarole, citrus, many types of winter squash, onions, garlic, potatoes, and more.
Join me in our latest Your Healthy Kitchen video, where I share and prepare some of the gorgeous, local produce you’ll find every Saturday at the Winter Prescott Farmers Market.
Recipe: Honey Mustard Salad Dressing
Recipe: Miso and Coconut Winter Greens
Locally grown produce is freshly picked, packed with nutrients, and above all, delicious. Here are just a few advantages of buying winter fruit and vegetables from local farms:
- Locally grown produce is typically picked just a day or two before being sold at the Prescott Farmers Market. In contrast, it can take a week or more to ship fruit and vegetables (which are often grown far from home) to retail stores in the U.S.
- Freshly picked produce contains higher levels of essential nutrients, including immune-boosting vitamin C and antioxidants that fight inflammation and chronic disease. Studies show that retail produce can lose more than 75% of vitamin C and other antioxidants between the time it is picked, shipped, purchased and consumed.
- Fresh produce looks delicious. After all, we eat with our eyes, and food that looks vibrant and fresh appeals to everyone!
- Fresh produce tastes delicious. Leafy greens and other vegetables can develop bitter flavors as they age. Freshly picked veggies, especially baby varieties, are tender and sweet.
- Local farmers grow unique and tasty varieties that you won’t find in stores. A few of my favorites include Porcelain Doll and Black Futsu winter squashes, Japanese Red Mizuna mustard, and beautiful, pink-speckled Castelfranco raddichio.
Be sure to sample the best of the season, while it lasts! The Winter Prescott Farmers Market is open every Saturday, from 10 am to 1 pm in the Dignity Health, YRMC Miller Valley parking lot.
Looking for other ideas for preparing your winter produce? Visit the Your Healthy Kitchen blog at yrmchealthconnect.org. Many of our videos feature local and seasonal vegetables and fruit, with recipes that are delicious and easy to prepare. Remember to also follow me on Facebook, at YRMC’s Your Healthy Kitchen, where I post photos and videos of the meals I make at home (most of which are made with local produce), plus my favorite food and gardening destinations on the web.