One thing I try to stay focused about on Cooking at Home is using seasonal produce, especially vegetables that are grown in New York State if possible. Yeah, I do use things from California, Florida, New Jersey and beyond but, if I can, I try to use foods with the least amount of miles on them.

Obviously, to cook like this, one has to pay attention to the seasons, to what’s available now and to what is soon to come. Nothing bothers me more than missing even a little bit of the peak season of any vegetable.

I know it’s a crazy to be thinking about this now because mid-winter is the least abundant season in Upstate NY.

Apples, potatoes, onions, carrots, cabbage and some winter squashes are about the extent of our local choices. One way to be proactive about this is to find and use products of NY State purveyors of prepared foods as a way to stay local until the first signs of spring and new growth.

And there’s always cheese and dairy products….some more seasonal than others. And, eating local honey is a sweet way to help make it through the winter.

I know it’s a global market and so many recipes use global ingredients but, to me, nothing tastes quite as good as locally grown or locally harvested food in season.

Don’t worry: maple syrup, ramps, dandelion greens, asparagus and much more soon to come!