There's a slower pace in midwinter. With the winter solstice past, the days are slowly getting longer, but no less cold. You probably don't think of this as a time of year when we do a lot of farming, but surprisingly, it is. Every year, we use our hoop houses to keep the soil warm enough for hardy plants. It means we can keep growing greens like arugula, lettuce, endive, chard, and spinach all through the winter. As the plants mature, you can also look for winter favorites like turnips, radishes, green onions, and fennel. And soon enough, even some early-season strawberries will be showing their red.

Eating with the seasons means that this time of year we make a lot of hearty stews, soups, and chilis. The modern world makes it possible to get food shipped to the grocery store even when it's out of season. We've gotten used to being able to eat tomatoes in January or cucumbers in March. But you've probably noticed that produce out of season just isn't as good. Its colors are faded, its texture is off, and it's less flavorful.

So this year, keep your family strong and connected by eating local and in-season produce.