#pumpkin-alternatives

#pumpkin-alternatives

Celeriac has been the ruiner of many a soup that I have been fed, overshadowing the taste of the other ingredients and dominating the flavour profile.

Cooking during late March can be particularly challenging due to the cold weather and lack of fresh produce. The desire for spring recipes clashes with the reality of winter ingredients still dominating the market.

One lap around the farmers market is enough to inspire spring vegetable recipes that make the most of thick stalks of asparagus, perky pink radishes, purple-streaked spring onions, tender sweet peas, thin-skinned new potatoes, and more.

When it comes to homemade pumpkin pies, George shares her experience from a self-instigated baking extravaganza. "I put myself to the test myself by baking 12 different pumpkin pie recipes (mostly from food bloggers, with a couple from cookbooks)," she explains. Only one of the recipes required puréeing fresh pumpkin, so it was easy to distinguish the results compared to the other 11 pies. In her opinion, all the extra work didn't justify the time, mess, and effort.

Parsnips' signature sweet, nutty flavor comes from their cold-weather cultivation. That subterranean freeze is what converts the roots' starches into sugars as the veggie grows underground. This is also why spring-harvested parsnips tend to be sweetest, although parsnips can be harvested during the fall and winter months, too. Fall- and winter-harvested parsnips feature a firmer texture and earthier, subtly bitter tasting profile.

Let's talk about holiday baking that goes beyond cookies! These are the festive winter bakes to try. The list includes an ultra fragrant gingerbread cake, a bright citrus loaf, and the perfect flourless chocolate cake. Few people love baking holiday cookies more than me, but a good amount of my favorite December baking happens outside the cookie platter. Think fragrant spice cakes, all things citrus, buttery, and bright - or deep, melty chocolate on the frostiest nights.

Onions may not be the prettiest vegetable to grow, but they're certainly one of the most useful. Figuring which items you eat most often is the first thing to consider before planting a vegetable garden, and as a fundamental part of soups, sauces, and salads, who couldn't use more of these easy-to-grow alliums? The only tricky part is that location really matters, as different varieties of onions require different day lengths in order to thrive.

Barley, the grain that is featured in this dish, is one of our most nutritious grains; it contributes protein, thiamine and niacin. Barley also is a rich source of dietary fiber. For a vegan rendition, use vegan yogurt and maple syrup instead of honey in the dressing and use olive oil instead of butter when sauteing the mushrooms. The dish is a main course salad and should be served at room temperature.

A delicious choice of simple sandwich filling, heirloom tomatoes are a type of tomato for which the seeds have been passed down through generations, hence the name. Unlike hybrid tomatoes, the seeds for heirloom varieties are open-pollinated and not engineered for an extensive life. As such, they are quite special, boasting a unique appearance and taste. Heirloom tomato season typically spans between later summer and early fall, meaning this specific sandwich selection will be dependent on the time of year.

Tasting Table talked to George Madosky, sous chef at a.kitchen+bar D.C., about how he cleans a fresh cob of corn. "We use a clean, dry kitchen towel and work with separate bowls so the cleaned corn stays away from any stray silk," Madosky says. "This method is gentle, effective, and avoids adding unnecessary moisture, which can make silk cling and spread."