The Paradox of Winter

Winter in the garden is a time of renewal and growth. Growing hardy greens in the snow can be done and they make delicious comfort food on snowy nights. Looking out at this snowy scene you wouldn’t think anything could be growing in the vegetable bed. But there are some plants that can face the cold and the snow with a little protection. Other plants, like many fruit trees, won’t produce unless they get a certain amount of cold. But winter can also be destructive.

We have had three storms roll through in the last month.

Our first storm brought lots of wind but only an inch of snow. That wind took out plenty of tree limbs and the frame of hoops I had over two of the garden beds. It also ripped the plastic cover off the one bed I had set up. I managed to piece it back together before the next storm…but it doesn’t look nearly as pretty!

The next snow we had gave us about two or three inches that melted off in two days. I harvested one of my Pak Choi before number three hit. Try to harvest when the temps are above freezing and your vegetables are not frozen, otherwise you’ll lose quite a bit as you handle the frozen leaves.

Then number three came in and dumped about six inches. But my trusty row cover is hanging in there!

I don’t put as much effort into the garden in winter but it’s nice to know I can still get a few veggies. Also growing under my little protected bed are broccoli and Savoy cabbage. All hardy plants but they need a little help during the coldest days.

When I trimmed off the leaves that had frost damage and those that had been eaten by slugs, I still had enough for at least two meals. The first one I made was a Red Thai Curry.

First,I separated the Pak Choi stems from the leaves as they have far different cooking times.

Next, I chopped up the rest of my ingredients. About half an onion and half a bell pepper went in this recipe. I also had Miatake and Shiitake mushrooms about a cup of each. Finally, I cubed up half a container of tofu (8 ounces).

I used a pre-made curry paste. Mike’s organic. I like the flavor, although it is not as red as many other brands, I think because there is no added food coloring.

First into the pan went the onions, bell pepper and Pak Choi stems and a sprinkle of salt.

After sautéing in a little avocado oil for about five minutes, I added the mushrooms.

They also got sprinkled with a little salt and sautéed for another five minutes or so.

When they were done, I removed them from the pan and set them aside.

Next another 2 teaspoons of avocado oil and the curry sauce went into the pan. I sautéed it for three or four minutes then added one can of light coconut milk. (You could use full fat for a richer taste and creamier mouth feel but I like the light coconut flavor better. Not as heavy.) I like HOT food so I added in about a half a teaspoon of some ginger infused ghost pepper hot sauce to increase the heat. TOTALLY optional. I realize that for most folks the curry paste is hot enough. Then all the veggies and the tofu jumped back into the pan and everything was brought to a simmer.

The last step was adding the Pak Choi leaves. They were basically just stirred in to wilt them a bit. I added a little fish sauce to intensify the Thai flavor. If you leave it out, this meal is Vegan. It feeds three or four depending on how hungry everyone is!

Finally, it was time to eat! I served this over brown rice but it would also be amazing over jasmine rice or rice noodles. Whatever makes you happy.

Even in winter, kitchen and garden working together to bring in a great and comforting meal for a snowy evening.

Thai Red Curry with Pak Choi

• 4 tsp. avocado oil – divided (or any neutral oil)
• 1/2 cup of onion
• 1/2 cup of bell pepper
• 1/2 cup of pak choi stems sliced
• 1 cup maitake mushrooms sliced
• 1 cup shitake mushrooms sliced
• 1/4 cup thai red curry paste (I used one packet of Mike’s)
• 1 can coconut milk (your preference of full fat or lite)
• 8 oz. of firm or extra firm tofu cubed
• Pak choi leaves

Sauté onions, bell pepper and pak choi stems in about 2 teaspoons of oil. Sprinkle with salt. Sauté about 5 minutes until just beginning to soften. Add mushrooms and another sprinkle of salt and Sauté about 5 more minutes until mushrooms soften. Remove from pan. Add 2 more teaspoons of oil and curry paste. Sauté for 3 or 4 minutes until fragrant. Add coconut milk and bring to a simmer. Let simmer for 5 minutes. Add vegetable back in along with tofu and simmer 5 minutes longer, heating through the vegetables and tofu. Add the Pak Choi leaves, stir and serve. I served over brown rice but jasmine rice or rice noodles would all work well.

Notes: If you can’t find pak choi any other asian green or mild cabbage will substitute. I added a bit of an asian flavored hot sauce as I like my food quite spicy. I also added about a teaspoon of fish sauce at the end to increase the depth of flavor. Omit it or use soy sauce and the recipe is vegan. A little added ginger with the onion or a squeeze of lime at the end would also be nice touches. I did not sauté my tofu as I like it soft in a curry but if you prefer it crisper, sauté it before adding it in. If you want you could also substitute another protein like chicken or shrimp. Finally, I prefer a more veg forward curry vs. lots of broth but if you like more broth, halve the vegetable and tofu amounts.