Office holiday closure

Our office will be closed Monday, January 20 for MLK Day. Preserves remain open!

Winter Produce Guide

Everyone deserves access to healthy, nutritious food. When you shop for locally grown produce, you help support local farmers, your health, and you also reduce your carbon footprint! Keep reading to learn which fruits and vegetables are in season this winter plus a cozy recipe idea to help it all come together. 

Winter Produce Collage

Supporting local farmers and protecting the working farmlands and ranches of the Santa Clara Valley is a must to ensure the future of our food supply.

To help us all do our part, Kat Hill, Volunteer Program Coordinator at the Open Space Authority, and Urban Open Space Grant recipient Veggielution share how to make the most of this season’s produce when you shop.

Produce to look for this winter:

  • Citrus like kumquats, pomelo, lemons, limes, and oranges.
  • Kohlrabi
  • Greens like spinach, cabbage, broccoli, arugula, lettuce, kale, chard, collards, dandelion greens, radicchio, endive, escarole, mache, and frisee. 
  • Napa cabbage
  • Beets
  • Sunchokes
  • Leeks
  • Snap peas

Need some inspiration to put it all together? Check out this recipe for Red Juice Pancakes below:

Red Juice Pancakes

Ingredients:

  • 12 oz of orange juice (3-5 oranges, approximately)
  • 1 cup of diced raw beets (150g or 5 oz)
  • 1 cup of spinach
  • 1.5 cups of whole wheat pancake flour (or whichever you like best)
  • 2 tablespoons of oats
  • 1 tablespoon of chia
  • Butter for cooking

To add on top of pancakes:

  • Almond cream
  • Grated coconut flakes
  • Honey or maple syrup
  • Orange slices
  • Beet slices

Directions:

  • Make the juice from the beets, oranges, and spinach using a juicer or blender.
  • Strain the juice, especially if using a blender, so it's not too lumpy. It should come out to 14 oz of juice. Blend in the oats, chia, and flour with the juice.
  • Cook your pancakes as you traditionally do, in a pan with a little ghee or butter and pour a quarter cup of batter to form your pancake. Flip when it starts to bubble. Repeat until you finish the batter.
  • Serve with almond cream, coconut flakes, and honey or syrup. Garnish with orange and beet slices. Enjoy your pancakes!
Red Juice Pancakes sit on a plate with orange slices

Related Posts

People walking through the flower fields at Spade and Plow

How California Agriculture Can Help the Climate Crisis

In late May 2023, the California State Assembly passed AB 408, a bill that holds great promise for supporting climate-resilient agriculture in California. Although the bill was not passed by the Senate, its proposed provisions demonstrate the much-needed funding for regenerative agriculture practices, farmland conservation, housing for farmworker communities, access to healthy food for low-income communities, and more.
Tables at a farmer's market display fresh produce as an individual walks by

Farmer's Market Guide to the Santa Clara Valley

Spring is in full swing, which means it’s farmer’s market season! Those who live in and around the Santa Clara Valley are lucky to have access to delicious produce year-round, but as the rain subsides, farm stands are back and better than ever. Spending a morning at the farmer’s market is a fun weekend activity, and a great way to support local farmers, farmlands, and the local economy.
An agricultural field with row crops during sunset

The Future of Agriculture

Everyone needs food. But in many parts of the state, including here in our region, there is food scarcity. According to recent research from Second Harvest Food Bank, one in four people in Santa Clara County are at risk of hunger. With a changing climate, protecting the foundation of our food systems (farms and ranches) is imperative. In addition to protecting these operations and the lands they depend on, the Open Space Authority is exploring sustainable and responsive management practices that support local farmers and ranchers, promote the resilience of food production, increase soil health, and minimize the carbon footprint of agriculture in the region.
A field of yellow and orange California poppies growing amongst tall grass, with green hills and a blue sky in the background

How Plants Prepare for Spring

After weeks of heavy rain, hillsides are turning green, and it’s beginning to feel like spring is right around the corner. You may know that spring is "baby season” for local wildlife like ground squirrels, bobcat kits, and red-tailed hawks, but did you know the same is true for native plant life? Plants are also preparing to create new life, and in fact, this preparation happens all year long.