The weather forecast signals a welcome change in seasons. When temperatures cool down, appetites for fall and winter vegetables warm up. It’s time to stock the fridge with winter produce too good to miss this time of year.
Cool-Weather Produce: 23 Nutritious Fall and Winter Vegetables
You’re making a shopping list and checking it twice. It includes plenty of fall and winter produce. This guide will help you decide when to buy the best seasonal produce, how to store it, and how to incorporate it into nutritious, hearty meals.
1. Brussels Sprouts
Of all the autumn foods in season, Brussels sprouts stand out as one of the healthiest options. A nutty, slightly sweet taste makes this veggie a favorite cool-weather side or entree.
Buy at Peak: Brussels sprouts are full of flavor from September through February.
Keep It Fresh: Stalks and loose sprouts keep best unwashed in the crisper drawer.
Prep It Right: Trim sprout ends, and remove any loose leaves before a quick steam or slow oven-roast.
2. Broccoli
This fall veggie is highly valued for its impressive levels of antioxidants and fiber. Half a cup of broccoli delivers more vitamin C than half an orange.
Buy at Peak: Broccoli grows year round, but it’s especially flavorful in the fall and winter.
Keep It Fresh: Rinse before wrapping in a paper towel and storing in the crisper drawer.
Prep It Right: Preserve broccoli’s nutritious goodness with a quick steam or pan saute.
3. Carrots
Carrots are one of the brightest examples of colorful fall produce in season. They get their high points for presentation and nutrition from impressive levels of beta carotene that converts into important vitamin A.
Buy at Peak: The season for most carrot varieties runs through late fall, but don’t miss winter harvest carrots.
Keep It Fresh: Trim away tops, rinse carrots, and keep wrapped with damp paper towels in the crisper drawer.
Prep It Right: Enjoy carrots raw, simmered in soups and stews or pureed for colorful smoothies.
4. Kale
Mildly sweet, leafy kale is an excellent source of vitamins A, C and K. A single cup serving provides a high dose of antioxidants and heart-healthy fiber.
Buy at Peak: Nutritious kale is available through the fall at grocery stores and farmers markets.
Keep It Fresh: Store paper towel-wrapped bunches of kale in plastic bags in your refrigerator crisper drawer.
Prep It Right: Blanch trimmed leaves before simmering, pan-frying or blending into healthy smoothies.
5. Napa Cabbage
Napa cabbage, also known as Chinese cabbage, is both a fall and winter vegetable with a subtle, sweet flavor and powerful nutritional profile. It’s a delicious source of vitamin B9, which is considered essential to good circulatory health.
Buy at Peak: Napa cabbage is available both fall and winter.
Keep It Fresh: Wrap Napa cabbage with plastic wrap, and store upright in the coldest area of the refrigerator.
Prep It Right: Trim leaves as needed, rinse, and drain before adding to salads, slaws and stir-fries.
6. Sweet Potatoes
Flavorful sweet potatoes are a staple on the list of winter root veggies. One medium sweet potato delivers more than 400% of the RDA for vitamin A, plenty of healthy fiber and only 100 calories.
Buy at Peak: Look for premium sweet spuds from early September through the winter months.
Keep It Fresh: Sweet potatoes stored in a cool, dark space stay fresh for up to one week.
Prep It Right: Simple to prepare, sweet potatoes are prefect for roasting, boiling or stove-top grilling.
7. Winter Squash
Acorn, butternut and spaghetti are just a few varieties of winter squash that inspire healthy cold-weather cooking. This versatile veggie is a rich source of vitamins, minerals, fiber and omega-3 fatty acids.
Buy at Peak: Shop for your favorite winter squash from late September through the end of February.
Keep It Fresh: Stored in a cool, dark pantry, squash keeps for as long as three months.
Prep It Right: Winter squash is easily grilled, simmered and oven-roasted in all types of recipes.
8. Leeks
Mildly sweet leeks are a tasty alternative to onions in cold-weather soups and stews. The bulbous veggie earns its spot on our list by delivering impressive levels of healthy flavonoids and Vitamin K.
Buy at Peak: Leeks are available year-round, so they're always a good choice for winter recipes.
Keep It Fresh: Store leeks in lidded containers in the fridge for up to a week.
Prep It Right: Wash before slicing off the green portion and chopping the tender white stem.
9. Parsley
One of the most popular annual herbs, parsley adds a peppery taste to everything from soups to entrees. The flavor of fresh parsley easily brightens up hearty fall and winter dishes.
Buy at Peak: You'll find flat or curly parsley in the produce section all year long.
Keep It Fresh: Trim parsley stems, wrap leaves with plastic, and store upright in 1 inch of water.
Prep It Right: From cassoulets to linguini, chopped parsley pairs with almost every wintertime entree.
10. Cabbage
Green or white, cabbage is a traditional vegetable for fall and winter cooking. It's a healthy choice too, delivering generous servings of vitamins C and K, antioxidants and fiber.
Buy at Peak: Late cabbage crops are typically harvested from early October through the end of November.
Keep It Fresh: Wrapped in plastic, whole cabbage heads stay fresh in the refrigerator for as long as 10 days.
Prep It Right: Boil leaves for cabbage rolls, or chase away the chill with cabbage wedges and corned beef.
11. Radicchio
Radicchio stands out as a favorite winter vegetable because it adds rich color and unique flavor to so many recipes. It doesn't add calories, fat or carbs, and that keeps it on our list of healthy veggies.
Buy at Peak: You'll find fresh radicchio in the produce section October through January.
Keep It Fresh: Wrapped in perforated plastic in the crisper drawer, the richly-colored veggie keeps for several weeks.
Prep It Right: Slice or chop radicchio, discard the white core, and add to pastas, soups and casseroles.
12. Parsnips
A sweet, nutty flavor makes parsnips another must-have cold-weather vegetable. It may look like a white carrot, but it's actually a member of the parsley family and an excellent source of fiber and protein.
Buy at Peak: Parsnips are available September through March, but they're a little sweeter during the winter.
Keep It Fresh: Unwashed and stored loosely in plastic, parsnips stay fresh in the fridge for three to four weeks.
Prep It Right: Slice into sticks, and roast with other root vegetables, or chop and add to soups and stews.
13. Beets
This is another winter vegetable that brightens up the table with vivid color. Beets are an excellent source of important nitrates that help promote cardiovascular health.
Buy at Peak: Beets are available throughout the year, but they're sweeter when the weather turns cold.
Keep It Fresh: Trimming the greens from the beet root helps keep beets fresh in the fridge for three weeks.
Prep It Right: Gently scrub beets before roasting, steaming or grilling for all types of wintertime sides and entrees.
14. Collard Greens
Collard greens are a beloved staple in Southern cuisines, and they're also considered a superfood. Just one cup contains 58% DV of vitamin C and an impressive 289% DV of vitamin A.
Buy at Peak: Collard greens are available year-round, but their flavor peaks during the winter months.
Keep It Fresh: Stored in the fridge, plastic-bagged collard greens can last up to five days.
Prep It Right: Trim off stems, stack and roll leaves, and slice into thin ribbons.
15. Cauliflower
This member of the mustard family is a very nutritious cold-weather vegetable. Cauliflower weighs in with an impressive list of nutrients, including vitamin C, folate and manganese.
Buy at Peak: Cauliflower is available all year, but it's considered tastiest December through March.
Keep It Fresh: Loosely wrap cauliflower in plastic, and store stem-up in the fridge for three to five days.
Prep It Right: Separate florets from the head, and steam, roast or stir-fry into favorite low-cal recipes.
16. Swiss Chard
This dark leafy green is surprisingly nutrient-dense. One cup supplies a full DV of vitamin K as well as high levels of vitamins C and A, magnesium and flavonoid antioxidants.
Buy at Peak: Most grocery stores offer a variety of fresh Swiss chard by early fall.
Keep It Fresh: Rinse and dry, wrap in paper towels, and store for up to a week in the fridge.
Prep It Right: Separate stems from leaves before cooking, and then enjoy chard as you would kale or spinach.
17. Fennel
This bulbous member of the carrot family is a very healthy winter vegetable containing beneficial nutrients, including antioxidants, potassium and calcium.
Buy at Peak: Fennel season peaks between fall and late winter, but it's usually available through spring.
Keep It Fresh: Wrap in paper towels, and keep refrigerated for as long as 10 days.
Prep It Right: Thinly sliced fennel adds Mediterranean accents to cold-weather soups, stews and pastas.
18. Rutabaga
Rutabagas resemble turnips, but they're sweeter and often enjoyed raw as a low-call snack. One cup supplies 50% DV of vitamin C, 2 grams of fiber and 43 milligrams of calcium.
Buy at Peak: Early fall is the best time of year to stock up on nutritious rutabagas.
Keep It Fresh: Loosely bagged rutabagas keep for a week at room temperature or two weeks in the fridge.
Prep It Right: Wash and peel off the veggie's waxy skin before roasting or blanching for favorite wintertime recipes.
19. Radishes
Peppery radish flavors warm up appetites on a cold day. The vegetables also earn their place on healthy winter menus by supplying plenty of antioxidants, fiber and Vitamin C.
Buy at Peak: While available in the early spring, radishes develop their full taste by fall.
Keep It Fresh: Store radishes in unsealed bags in the fridge, but don't wash until needed.
Prep It Right: Cut off the stem and root, and then boil, steam, bake or grill the versatile vegetable.
20. Red Cabbage
The rich color that sets red cabbage apart from other cruciferous vegetables comes from its high levels of anthocyanin. This flavonoid plays a key role in maintaining cardiovascular and neurological health.
Buy at Peak: The best time of year for purchasing fresh red cabbage runs from October through December.
Keep It Fresh: Red cabbage wrapped in plastic generally stays fresh in the refrigerator crisper drawer for 10 days.
Prep It Right: Rinsed and chopped, red cabbage is a delicious addition to winter vegetable soups.
21. Spinach
Spinach is an excellent source of multiple nutrients and plant compounds. The leafy vegetable serves up vitamins A, C, B9 and K1 as well as nitrates and antioxidants.
Buy at Peak: Fresh spinach is available year-round, but enjoy its seasonal best during the fall.
Keep It Fresh: Rinse, pat dry, and refrigerate spinach in a container lined with paper towels for seven days.
Prep It Right: Remove stems before baking into creamy casseroles, adding to sautees or simmering in side dishes.
22. Celery
Low-cal celery delivers healthy portions of fiber with a satisfying crunch. Its nutritional profile includes folate, important antioxidants and vitamins A and K.
Buy at Peak: Year-round availability makes celery an easy addition to fall and winter recipes.
Keep It Fresh: Celery maintains its crunchy best when wrapped in foil and stored in the refrigerator crisper drawer.
Prep It Right: Slice celery into bite-sized additions to wintertime stews and soups, or roast whole stalks in the oven.
23. Romaine Hearts
Romaine hearts complement winter meals with plant proteins and omega-3 fatty acids. The hearts are also an excellent source of multiple vitamins and minerals.
Buy at Peak: Purchase premium romaine hearts from late spring through the end of October.
Keep It Fresh: Store romaine by wrapping in plastic and storing in the crisper drawer for 10 to 20 days.
Prep It Right: Slice hearts into quarters, and grill for an elegant dinner, side dish or classic Caesar salad.
From Our Farms to Your Table
Enjoy the change in seasons as you warm up the kitchen with fall and winter vegetables.
