Can you really eat locally in the dead of winter in the frigid climate of northern New England? Or, more accurately, the question is, can you do so and not be bored to tears eating nothing but beets and other roots?
Yes you can!
That one’s easily answered in the affirmative at least for our area. In addition to the farm stands that remain open all year featuring their stored and fresh crops, we are lucky to have winter farmers markets to supply a season’s worth of produce, other staple and exotic delights, and a chance to socialize. That last part is probably the most important on many levels.
Choices
I frequent two farmers markets this time of year; a small one in Shelburne that is held weekly, and a larger one in Burlington which is held twice a month. If you live in an area that has no local farmers market, check out your local co-ops and larger health food stores; they often carry locally grown seasonal vegetables. If not, ask the manager why not!
A good reason to get your boots on and head outside
Both our local farmers markets have a variety of vendors of food and other specialty items, lots of shoppers, and live music when we are lucky. It’s a good reason to get out of the house and socialize as cabin fever season looms over us. It often does this time of year, especially after a cold spell.
A social event
I went to see people, enjoy a rare sunny day this season with a bit of a January thaw in the air, and it was most enjoyable. The object was to stock up on vegetables for the week, but we found a few other treasures along the way, ran into some folks we know, and because the weather was so cooperative, there were lots of people taking advantage of what our local farmers and artists have to offer.
Veggies in every color of the rainbow
Veggies were aplenty: winter squashes of all colors and sorts, fresh mushrooms, cabbages, some bigger than your head, root vegetables including a rainbow of beets, potatoes, turnips, carrots, rutabagas, onions, shallots, parsnips, colorful winter radishes, a large variety of locally grown greens, and little indulgences such as dried cayenne peppers and dried mushrooms.
Not just produce
Of course there’s apples, and cheeses of all sorts – sheep, cow, and goat – an assortment frozen wild fish and of meats locally raised and processed, other dairy and farm-fresh local eggs. Fermented products are available in abundance, as well as other prepared items such as pastries, jams, syrups, pickles, and hot sauces made from the summer’s bounty by our clever farmers.
A handy meal
There’s also the prepared snacks and meals with heavenly aromas to tempt shoppers. You know it’s good, there’s always a line at these booths. You can snack on a calzone and top it off with a cannoli, indulge in a grass-fed burger, or sample a tasty cookie washed down with some ginger beer. Perhaps some traditional Ukrainian perogies to enjoy at the market, or bring home for dinner?
Food and other fine items
In addition to the food offerings, you’ll find the expected craft and jewelry items and samples of works from local artists. A good reason to take the time for a leisurely browse. I know I have a few birthdays coming up in the family, and I found just the right pair of earrings for one of them. I might have also bought a pair for myself as well…
Lots to savor
What else did I purchase at that last market? A beautiful purple cabbage not quite as big as my head, a pound of scrumptious fresh mushrooms of several types which stretched through several meals in various forms, including a bountiful risotto. I’ll savor some dried king blue oyster mushrooms for a few weeks.
A week’s shopping
Also crammed into my shopping bags: delicata squash, white turnips, jumbo pastured eggs, purple potatoes, parsnips, a rutabaga, an olive ciabatta loaf, a pot of honey, black current syrup, a jar of kimchi, a heavenly blue goat cheese, and an assortment of greens including bok choy, parsley, kale, and radicchio. All my produce for the week, and we couldn’t be happier.
Quick, easy, and inexpensive
What did I make? Well, since the temperature dipped after sundown, we were hankering for something hearty and there would be four of us for dinner. I made a variation on Colcannon, an Irish peasant dish that usually features mashed potatoes and either cabbage or kale. Simple to make, and so delicious. Who doesn’t love a mash? The whole dish was quick to put together, few ingredients, really inexpensive, and used almost entirely food grown right in my county.
Let’s roast the cabbage
My twist on the dish was to gently roast the cabbage for more flavor and top it with the mash, which I made from some white and blue potatoes (which are really purple), and turned a lovely shade of lavender.
A yellow vegetable now, please
We served this with some roasted delicata squash rings, a side salad of radicchio and parsley with a honey lemon dressing, and some tasty grilled olive bread. This was a feast indeed, and we had plenty of the colcannon left, which translated into my kind of fast food for another day.
You’ve been sitting much too long!
Grab your shopping bag, it’s time to get out of the house, but bundle up, the January thaw is over, at least for now.
Colcannon with Roasted Cabbage
- 4 cups purple or green cabbage, shredded
- 1 delicata squash, cut into rings
- 2 lb. potatoes, any color
- Milk and butter to mash
Preheat your oven to 450 F. (425 convection) and prep your vegetables. Shred the cabbage, and place it on a lightly greased baking sheet. Cut the squash into rings. Do not peel the squash. You can remove the seeds now, or after they are cooked. If you want to consume the seeds, they will take much longer to cook than everything else.
Nestle the rings on the same sheet. Place in the middle rack of the oven and set your timer for 15 minutes. At this time, the cabbage should be nicely softened, remove it from the pan and keep warm. You don’t want it to go too far, just soften and sweeten up.
Continue to cook the squash another ten minutes, or until soft. Keep warm.
While these vegetables roast, boil the potatoes. I used mostly purple, with a few white tossed in. When very soft, drain and mash with a little warmed milk of choice, plant or dairy, to the consistency you like, salt and lots of black pepper. My mash turned a lovely shade of lavender. I’ve also made mashed potatoes with the lovely pink-fleshed variety as well.
In general, when purchasing vegetables, remember more color means more nutrients, so if you have a choice between purple and white potatoes, the darker color is better for you. The same goes for green and purple cabbage, and onions too.
You can either mix the cabbage in with the mashed potatoes to serve, the tradition, or make a bed of the cabbage and scoop the mash on top, with a bit of butter to melt in. Garnish with the squash rings, and serve with a seasonal side salad.
If you like garnish additionally with some fried peelings of the potatoes; you’ll be surprised, they taste just like chips, and you’re saving something from the compost heap.
To do this, save your peelings from the potatoes unless they have green on the underside. This green was caused by the potatoes being exposed to light, and can be upsetting to your stomach.
Heat an inch of oil in a sauce pan and add the peelings which you have pressed dry with toweling. Simply cook these over medium high until crispy and brown. Drain, and salt. Snack on them, or top your colcannon.
Radicchio Salad with Lemon Honey Vinaigrette
We served the colcannon with a little salad made from a big handful of the farmers market parsley and bowl of speckled radicchio. The dressing was a simple lemon vinaigrette, shaken in a canning jar until thick.
Combine:
- Zest of a lemon
- ¼ cup fresh lemon juice
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 heaping teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 heaping teaspoon local honey
- Salt and pepper to taste
Shake well and dress the greens lightly. You will have plenty of vinaigrette left for other salads, and it doesn’t need to be refrigerated.
See you at the markets!
“Cabin fever has a taste and is somewhere between homemade and slightly feral. These dishes remind you that happiness isn’t a destination, a bubbling pot, a buttery crust, a spoon scraping the last bite from the bowl. They taste like surrendering to comfort, choosing joy over productivity, and finally embracing the art of staying in. When the world outside looks cold and uncertain, these foods build you a small, edible fortress of warmth.” ~ Bobbie Blue
© Copyright 2026– or current year, The New Vintage Kitchen. Dorothy Grover-Read. Unattributed use of this material and photographs is strictly prohibited. Reposting and links may be used, provided that credit is given to The New Vintage Kitchen, with active link and direction to this original post.
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What a difference a day makes
It is so good you have options for fresh, nutritious produce, Dorothy. I like the idea of mash on a bed of roasted cabbage. It would be perfect for my husband’s palate.
Thanks Amanda. I really enjoy it that way, the creaminess of the mash isn’t disturbed! But it’s mashed potatoes and I’ll take them any way!
A great reason to brave winter weather! Stay, warm.
It sure is! The temps are dropping, due to be below zero later this week. Glad the wood is stacked!
Wow the size of those lions mane and oyster shrooms they are whoppers…great images, Dorothy 🙂 x
This post makes me want to visit Vermont just for the farmers’ markets, sit in your kitchen while you cook, and eat like this! The photos of the market were so delightful. Your meal looks amazing.
Thanks Suz! You can visit any time!!! I would love to feed you!
We love our Farmers Markets and look forward to going every week.
It makes such a difference in the quality of our food, doesn’t it? I know the greens I buy, even in the middle of winter, last such a long time, although they usually get gobbled up long before they wilt!
Ive just had brunch and yet the sight of your fabulous images have made me hungry – all over again. Proves we definitely eat with our eyes first…
We sure do!
The Farmer’s Markets in my area close from October thru Maarch–wish they stayed opened all year round! Thanks for sharing some eat-local winter recipes! 🙂
You are very welcome Nancy! Happy hunting.
Nice!!!!! You live in a fabulous area!
Vermont is a beautiful place to live, and we are lucky to still have so many small farms.
WOW!! A feast for a King! Fabulous food just begging to be gobbled up.
Mary :))
Thanks Mary! It really was a feast on a cold winters night!
Some excellent produce to get cooking with.
It’s definitely a good week when you start with good ingredients!
Gorgeous produce and that loaf of bread is impressive. A slice of toast with morning coffee would hit the spot. Your colcannon looks amazing Thanks, D
Thanks sis! That bread, an olive ciabatta, is one of our local bakery’s best. Never a crumb wasted!
OMG! I love olive ciabatta! 😋
This one is to die for! My family drools when Stew brings it home.
Now I’m drooling!
What lovely farmers’ markets you have! Lucky you! I enjoyed seeing what you brought home. I would give anything for a delicato squash!
And your food was prepared and presented so beautifully.
Stay warm, my friend!
Thank you Nancy! There is always something tempting!
We’re trying our best to keep warm!
Thank you, Dorothy, for the interesting post.
Joanna
You are very welcome!
It’s so wonderful to have year round farmers markets.
Your plates look so full of healthy colorful energy. 🙂
Thanks Ronit! If your starting place is potatoes, of any color, you can’t go wrong!
Our local farmers’ market has become so popular they are having people park off site and bussing them in. It certainly is a breath of fresh air in the middle of winter.
That’s wonderful Judy! It’s such a good time, and feels so good to get out if the house and mingle! And we always find something tasty for lunch!
You are a lucky lady to find such options! We have a few winter markets but I don’t think it compares to what you have.
it varies so much from region to region, but I know that nationwide, farmers markets are growing!
Such a bounty of delicious food for the winter! And a great reminder that there is more to a farmer’s market than just the produce. There’s a warm sense of community! Thanks for sharing!
Thanks Karen! That sense of community is important, and it’s also great to get to know the farmers themselves! Be on first-name basis with the person who grows your food. What could be better?
I will so agree with you, lots to savor!💖💖💖
Savor is the perfect word!
Love to see what you can find locally when the temps dip low like this. And colcannon? YUM.
The best part is getting out of the house! We’re in for a good cold snap this week!
If we had a farmers market like that Dorothy I would go out in a blizzard! You are so lucky Dorothy, all we get is store fruit and vegetables that never taste good and usually go bad immediately. I would buy those mushrooms in a heartbeat. I thought about ordering some on line but I didn’t.
Do any of your farmers offer a CSA share? Buying group? Where are you located?
You had me at black currant syrup! Oh farmer’s markets are such great treats to go through, and I love when they offer samples. Great pics and definitely nutritional! Happy New Year 😀
Happy New Year my friend!
I put a splash of the black currant syrup in my fuzzy water and it’s great!
You are so fortunate to have a farmers’ market that operates during the winter months near you. The farmers’ market in the town where I live is only is open from May to October.
The winter markets have been growing, and we’re all grateful for them. I think the farmers enjoy them as much as the rest of us!
The cold storage room & freezer becomes my farmers’ market. Winter is the time to eat down the garden produce that was put up in the fall. Chickens from a local producer were just added to the freezer. The carrots from a local producer were shared with a cousin. The local farmers’ markets showcase baked goods & hydroponic greens. I like to eat seasonally so there’s lots of root veg & cabbage. Colcannan is right up my alley.
Wonderful! Definitely a food kindred spirit!
I am hoping to become a Farmer’s market vendor. I believe there will many new opportunities opening up for local growers everywhere. You are a true vintage inspiration.
Oh thank you! I know the vendors all look really happy, they bring their kids along, and friends, and it’s a social event for all!
Spread the joy!
You have the most interesting recipes, Dorothy. They always have a little twist to them from the norm.
Love to shake things up Mary!