What I'm Eating From My Garden in January
While most of the country is bundled indoors with bowls of soup, winter gardening in Southern California is in full swing. In fact, winter is my favorite season to grow food! The cooler temperatures mean fewer pests, natural rain that keeps the soil hydrated, and conditions perfect for crisp, fresh greens.
The Best Time for Salads
You might think of summer as salad season, but here in San Diego, winter is when lettuce truly thrives. The cool weather keeps the leaves tender and sweet, unlike in the heat when they tend to bolt and turn bitter. Right now, my lettuce and arugula are at their peak. By picking the outer leaves, I get a steady supply of greens for a fresh side salad every evening. Arugula alone can be a bit too spicy for my taste, but mixed into the salad, it adds the perfect peppery kick.
Greens Galore
Winter is the time for all things green: kale, chard, bok choy, broccoli, and cauliflower. My broccoli and cauliflower are still growing, but the leaves are large enough to sauté for a nutritious side dish. If you haven’t tried broccoli leaves, you're missing out! They’re milder than kale, easy to clean, and pair well with almost any meal. Bok choy is just starting to come in, and by harvesting the outer leaves, I keep it producing for weeks.
Root Vegetables & Surprise Harvests
January is also a great time for root veggies like carrots, beets, and radishes. Those seed packets that say to plant when the soil can be worked after frost? In San Diego, that means late fall and winter. Another fun surprise this time of year comes from forgotten potato and sweet potato plants. As the leaves die back, digging around in an old pot often reveals a happy stash of tubers!
Citrus & Herbs for Fresh Flavor
My Meyer lemon tree got a recent pruning, leaving me with a bucket of lemons perfect for homemade salad dressings, lemon pasta, or refreshing sparkling drinks. Meanwhile, my herb garden is thriving with oregano, thyme, parsley, dill, and mint. Amazingly, my basil held on until late January in a warm, sunny spot, but when it finally faded, I still had plenty of frozen pesto from summer.
Fresh Food All Winter Long
Who says winter is for canned goods and dried beans? In Southern California, January is a season of abundance. With crisp greens, hearty root vegetables, and fresh herbs and citrus, eating from the garden is easy, delicious, and rewarding.
