What’s in Season – February Produce and Recipes

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February produce blends winter staples with the hopeful first ingredients of spring. Bring out the citrus fruit, brassica, and root vegetables to create delicious February recipes with seasonal food.

Different types of produce available in February

Shorter than the rest, February bids goodbye to the “dark at 4 pm” winter and hints at brighter days. It is all about hearty vegetables and fruits packed with vitamins – perfect for keeping your immune system in top shape with soups, salads, and sides. So here are the top produce options in season in February. 

Citrus fruit

Packed full of Vitamin C and overflowing with overall health benefits, we need citrus more than ever during the winter months. You’ll find oranges, lemons, lime, and grapefruits in abundance at the supermarket.

But there’s one that reigns supreme over them all – the blood orange. I would argue it is the most versatile – its sweeter and less acidic taste is more complex than the traditional orange and is great for cooking or baking into this delicious Blood Orange Cake.

Blood Orange Cake with Pistachios with a piece sliced off

Blood Orange Cake with Crushed Pistachios

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Brassica vegetables

Derived from the cabbage plant and occasionally referred to as cruciferous vegetables, Brassica vegetables are hearty and packed with vitamins. They are a great source of fiber too. The best February vegetables are cabbage, Swiss chard, and cauliflower.

You can eat Swiss chard raw, but it’s also delicious sauteed or in an easy soup with chard leaves. Just chop the stems and enjoy all the colors.

A serving of sautéed chard in a plate

Simple Sautéed Swiss Chard

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Cabbage is great raw, boiled, easy roasted cabbage, stuffed and rolled cabbage leaves, or pickled (quick pickled cabbage or homemade easy sauerkraut). Plus, you can make nutritious, easy coleslaw or add cabbage to salads.

Cabbage topped with pepper in a pot

Quick Boiled Cabbage Recipe

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If you’re continuing Veganuary into February, cauliflower is about to become your best friend. You can use it into a healthy hearty cauliflower soup, as cauliflower rice, or simply roast it.

Cauliflower steaks on a tray with half a lemon

Grilled Cauliflower Steaks

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Chicory vegetables

Crispy and a little bit bitter, but perfect for salads. Chicory vegetables are generally grown “forced” and in complete darkness, so they’re good throughout the year. But I’ve found they’re at their best in February.

Chicory is perhaps better known as endive lettuce (or Belgian endive), with an off-shoot vegetable known as radicchio. With a slightly reddish hue, they make a colorful addition to any winter salad. Or you can slice in two, brush with oil, and grill till slightly browned – an excelled side dish option.

Root vegetables

Carried over from January, February is all about root vegetables thanks to their ability to hold over through the winter. Yams and sweet potatoes are packed full of essential nutrients that we need to keep ourselves healthy during the winter months. Plus, sweet potatoes count as one of your five a day (white potatoes don’t!). And they are also hugely versatile in the kitchen – make mashed sweet potatoes, sweet potato fries, baked sweet potatoes, and more.

Baked sweet potato with some butter and thyme

Easy Baked Sweet Potato Recipe

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Others

Part of the carrot family, fennel is bright, green, and packed with an Aniseed flavor that’s definitely an acquired taste. You can enjoy fennel salad or cooked (roasted, grilled).

Raw fennel salad

Fennel Salad Recipe

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Leeks are a great addition to soups, stews, and other recipes. Plus you can also make a simple side dish by grilling or roasting leeks.

A bowl with homemade potato leek soup topped with a bit of parsley

The Best Potato Leek Soup

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While the above fruit and veggies are in peak season, for some – it’s the end of the season. Now’s the time to enjoy these before they are all gone:

  • Brussels sprouts, kale,
  • Parsnips, turnips, rutabaga (swede),
  • Winter squash, butternut squash,
  • Potatoes,
  • Apples and pears,
  • Clementines.

If you try any of these recipes with February fruits and veggies, let me know how it goes in the comments below. I’d love to see your recipe recreations – tag me on Instagram @Alphafoodie!

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