CityView Magazine

FEATURE r produces Fall & Winter I What to buy now and how to store it BY Kelly Twedell t's probably been months since you harvested your last tomatoes, zucchini and strawberries. Yet the cool weather brings in the next season of veggies, some of which you probably planted in the spring. Reward our North Carolina farmers and buy locallygrown organic fruits and veggies. Carolina Grown is in their fifth year of business and was first founded by two families. Serving counties across the state with their weekly delivery service, business has increased exponentially. Their clients are true foodies interested in quality home grown goodness with a high nutritional value. Their latest storefront is located downtown on Hay Street, where customers can shop for locally produced Kale The large leafy greens are best known for their nutritional properties. Seek out the more medium-sized leaves with fresh-looking stems without any yellowing. Kale tastes best if cooked shortly after buying. It stores best if you strip the leaves from the stems and place them in an airtight container in the coldest part of your fridge. Cauliflower While we all have had cauliflower cooked or raw with dip, this winter bunch is the sweetest right now and pretty in shades of purple or orange. Start by looking at the leaves and selecting the freshest looking ones with moist-looking curds – the flowery part. Cauliflower stays the most fresh if you wrap it up in damp paper towels in your fridge with the head facing down in a loose plastic bag. Leeks Fancy up your winter soup recipes with this member of the onion family. Leeks are known to be meats, fish and dairy products besides just fruits and vegetables. Last year they even started to carry North Carolina beers and wines. Select a subscription package and shop online with points and the food comes directly to your doorstep packed in a container of dry ice. The weekly menu of available seasonal items is posted on Fridays. What a treat to order free-range bison and lamb with no added hormones or antibiotics. Warning: Don't try the Jalapeno Fromage Blanc by Calico Farmstead Cheese. It's addictive. For those of you born with a "black thumb" or with no time to plant a garden, here are some seasonal fruits and vegetables from Carolina Grown and how to store them for maximum freshness. sweeter and the longer the stalks the better. Store in a plastic bag after halving them lengthwise and snipping some of the green outer leaves before storing them for up to a week. Meyer Lemons This richly colored yellow fruit is often found potted in nurseries, but could take two years before it yields its first fruit. At the market, look for the fruits that are smooth, thin-skinned and feel heavy in your palm. Display them in a bowl or refrigerate them for up to two weeks for use in winter salads, seafood or citrus desserts and libations. Blood Oranges Jazz up your salad with a contrast of crimson colored segments that are at their sweetest in late winter. It's often hard to judge from their outer speckled skin how rich their color inside is. While best served at room temperature, you can store them for up to two weeks in the fridge. CV CityViewNC.com | 55

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