Broccoli Blues

Guest Blogger, Drake Turner, Development Associate at Hunger Free Vermont

I have a complicated relationship with winter. In the hottest days of summer, I sweat and stew and fantasize about warm coats, gently falling snow, and a chance to slow down and enjoy the changing seasons. I wish I could remember this feeling of excitement in the middle of January when it’s all I can do not to buy a space heater and plant myself in front of it for the next two months. I’ve been an avid skier for as long as I can remember, but this far into our frigid winter I almost feel like I’m punishing myself, and wish my father had signed me up for swim lessons instead of strapping on ski boots. Winter in Vermont is wonderful, don’t get me wrong, and I feel so lucky to live here. But can't we just have a day here and there where the cold doesn’t knock the wind out of us?

For me, perhaps winter’s greatest disappointment comes in the form of produce (or lack thereof). Summer’s abundance of juicy, fresh fruit and colorful vegetables feels so far away, and as hard as I try, I can’t get into soups and stews the way everyone else seems to. I need something to bite and crunch into, and all the pasta in the world can’t make me forget strawberry season is months away. I generally try to buy seasonally, but it’s hard to look at yet another squash or parsnip with excitement at this time of the year.

My culinary savior this year has been broccoli. It is available year round, but best between October and April; plus it’s vibrant and delicious. It doesn’t hurt that it’s also a nutritional powerhouse: noteworthy nutrients include vitamin C, vitamin A, folic acid, calcium, and fiber. In terms of preparation, I usually keep it simple: either steaming the broccoli and adding some lemon or parmesan or just enjoying raw atop a salad. But if you want to make things more interesting, you might want to try this Quinoa Chickpea Veggie Salad – it could be just the thing to snap you out of your winter funk.

Image from www.edibleperspective.com

In the meantime, I’ll just be the girl in the corner nibbling on raw broccoli and waiting until it’s warm enough for shorts and blueberries.