early winter & late WINTER
These seasons are a time for rest and reflection with recipes for warmth and comfort.
Early winter is a golden season during which we gather our supplies for the winter months. The air becomes perceptibly thinner and brisker, and a sense of fragmentation sets in our minds and emotions reflecting the changing uncertainty of the season. This is a time to quiet the thoughts and slow activities. Strength, vitality and appetite are enforced during the early winter months. The digestive fire is fortified because the fire element is strong in the atmosphere, and we are able to eat and digest larger quantities of food. Meals that are unctuous, bean soups, and winter grains are recommended during this time.
buckwheat
corn
millet
wheat
beans
carrots
pumpkins
winter squashes
Parsnips
greens
broccoli
broccoli rabe
beets
turnips
potatoes
onions
Shalots
leeks
Cabbage
endive
kale
lettuce
spinach
turnip greens
Rest and reflection are the mantras for the late winter season, as this is the most austere season of the year inviting us to safeguard our inner reservoir of strength. This is the time to take long, brisk walks, and cast off stress welcoming a tranquil mind. Our tissues are cosseted by the winter energy providing us with a necessary cycle of rest, allowing us to rebalance, recharge and refocus. Appetite becomes powerful at this time, and we must feed our inner fire by increasing the size of our meals and imbibing in healthful nourishing foods like baked breads, heavy soups and stews, cooked fruits and root vegetables, milk beverages and creamy sauces. Excellent foods for late winter are below.