Temptation surrounds us during the holidays, it coincides with cooler weather & those crisp salads just don’t quite hit the spot any more. Generally fresh salad greens are harder to find or you need to source from out of state or in some cases, out of country- not a sustainable practice by any means. A green house can extend the growing season an extra month into the fall & the same early start going into spring, even longer in some areas. Nice sunny inside window sill will support enough herbs to flavor any dish throughout the longer winter days. Temporary plastic covers (or second hand windows in frame) over your raised garden bed is a cheaper option than a large grow house & will achieve similar results.

On those cool days I lean towards a raw version of old favorites. Some of these include;

Mushroom teas- a pot continuously stooping throughout the day.

Season veggies & fruit on low in the corner dehydrator, a tray never quite finishing a cycle as the contents is consumed warm

A soup, again from seasonal veggies & herbs with spices to taste. Place raw ingredients in blender & run an extra 30 seconds or so, it takes the chill off without cooking, soaked seeds or sprouts thickening it up & transforming into a stew or dhal like texture

Probiotics & cultured foods; your coconut kefirs, seed cheeses, sauerkraut, live crackers all excite & ignite our core…warming us from the center out.

One of my new favorite ‘go to’ reference ebooks for the season is from the enthusiastic Tonya Kay- Winter Warming Diet, click on the book for more details:

There’s enough information in here to not only get you through the winter months but possibly have you coming outside the better than when you went in! Enjoy & let me know what your staple winter warmer is.

Cheers