What's in Season - February Produce Guide
Check out our seasonal February produce guide with recipes to use it up.
February Produce Guide
When February arrives we are still in the thick of winter, but with hints of a spring soon to come. You can find almost all of the produce of January, like winter squash, cabbages, and citrus, but with some new additions like leeks, fennel bulbs, and baby arugula.
What's in Season in February?
Blood oranges and lemons
Blood oranges are peaking now, these juicy ruby wonders timed perfectly for Valentine's Day. Most citrus are happiest during the dreary winter months. Now is the time to make marmalade, and anything lemony.
Read More: A Guide to Citrus Fruits
Swiss chard, kale, and collards
It's still the season for sturdy winter greens. Look for rainbow chard with colorful stems.
Fennel
Looks like celery and tastes like licorice, this relative of carrots and parsley is terrific shaved raw into salads, added into stews, or baked or braised.
Leeks
The white and light green parts of leeks grow under a mound of mulch, with just the dark green leaves exposed to light. All that mulch can get in the crevices of the leeks, so make sure to slice them open and rinse thoroughly before cooking. Leeks share the allium family with onions, garlic, shallots, and chives. Think of them as giant green onions that you cook. They're great in soups, or braised.
Cabbage
Purple and green cabbages are winter work horses. They'll last weeks in your fridge without going bad. Use cabbage for slaws, or for stuffing or adding to soups.
Radicchio
Radicchio looks a little like purple cabbage, but it's an entirely different vegetable. It's a chicory like endive or frisée, and can be a little bitter. Shred a few leaves to add to salads. It's delicious roasted or grilled.
Read More: What Is Radicchio?
Arugula
Baby arugula is available all year long because most of what we see packaged in the market is grown indoors. But garden arugula starts making an appearance in early spring. If you garden, pick the leaves young while they are lightly peppery, but not overwhelmingly so.
Sweet potatoes
Sweet potatoes are grown and harvested all year. There's no particular season for them, but they are so sweet and colorful, they can brighten any winter meal!
Scroll down for recipes using the best of February produce!
Lemons: Salmon with Lemon Cream Sauce
Sautéed salmon fillets served with a simple lemony cream sauce.
Get Recipe: Salmon with Lemon Cream Sauce
Swiss chard: Easy Swiss Chard
Easiest way to make Swiss chard! Cook in olive oil with garlic and crushed red pepper.
Get Recipe: Easy Sautéed Swiss Chard
Kale: Colcannon
Colcannon Potatoes are an Irish mashed potato recipe with mixed with greens and scallions and LOTS of butter and cream. You can't go wrong with this green-filled dish on St. Patrick's Day!
Get Recipe: Colcannon
Fennel: Caramelized Fennel and Onions
Sliced onions and fennel, slowly cooked until lightly browned, tossed with Parmesan, lemon, and parsley.
Get Recipe: Caramelized Fennel and Onions
Leeks: Potato Leek Soup
Potato Leek Soup is a classic! Nothing's better than a bowl of hearty potato soup on a chilly day. And it's easy, too! No cream needed, just purée the soup to make it thick and creamy.
Get Recipe: Potato Leek Soup
Leeks: Parsnip Soup with Leeks and Parsley
Beautiful vivid green parsnip leek soup! Made with sautéed leeks, simmered with parsnips and stock, pureed with fresh parsley.
Get Recipe: Parsnip Soup With Leeks
Arugula: Arugula Salad with Beets and Goat Cheese
EASY healthy, Arugula Salad with Beets, Goat Cheese, and Walnuts! With a simple lemon vinaigrette. Perfect combo!
Get Recipe: Arugula Salad With Beets and Goat Cheese
Cabbage: New England Boiled Dinner
New England boiled dinner, a one pot dish consisting of corned beef or plain brisket, cabbage, carrots and potatoes.
Get Recipe: New England Boiled Dinner
Cabbage: Stuffed Cabbage Rolls
Hungarian stuffed cabbage rolls are hearty comfort food at its best! Cabbage leaves are stuffed with ground pork, onions, garlic, egg, rice, and spices, and braised in a tomato sauce.
Get Recipe: Stuffed Cabbage Rolls
Radicchio: Roasted Butternut Squash, Radicchio, and Onion
Butternut squash, radicchio and onion roasted in the oven and tossed with olive oil, toasted pine nuts and grated cheese.
Get Recipe: Roasted Butternut Squash, Radicchio, and Onion
Radicchio: Fennel, Radicchio and Endive Salad
A crunchy salad of radicchio, Belgian endive and sliced fennel served with a fennel dressing and grated parmesan cheese.
Get Recipe: Fennel, Radicchio, and Endive Salad
Sweet Potatoes: Slow Cooker Chickpea Curry with Sweet Potatoes and Red Peppers
This Slow Cooker Chickpea Curry a "set it and forget it" meal. Just pile all the ingredients into the slow cooker and come back to a hot meal hours later. Soak your chickpeas overnight to make them extra tender.
Get Recipe: Slow Cooker Chickpea Curry With Sweet Potatoes and Red Peppers
Sweet Potatoes: Oven Baked Sweet Potato Fries
These oven baked sweet potato fries are so addictive! Wedges of sweet potatoes, tossed with oil, sprinkled with spices, and baked at high heat until browned and crispy at the edges.
Get Recipe: Oven Baked Sweet Potato Fries
Sweet Potatoes: Sweet Potato Waffles with Fried Egg, Bacon, and Scallions
Make these sweet potato waffles with fried egg, bacon, and scallions for breakfast, lunch, or dinner! Great way to use up leftover sweet potatoes.
Get Recipe: Sweet Potato Waffles with Fried Egg, Bacon, and Scallions
Read the original article on Simply Recipes.
