12 delicious organic winter vegetables and how to cook them

Potatoes
Taste tests consistently show that many people find organic potatoes to be superior in flavour. If you eat the skins, always choose organic, since these are not sprayed with any post-harvest insecticides or sprout suppressants – although remember that this means that the potatoes will not keep as long. Organic potatoes are easy to find. Popular commercial varieties include Nicola, Santé and Cara. Local growers and box schemes often sell traditional and heritage varieties. Organic potatoes are imported from Germany, Holland, Austria, Spain and France and organic new potatoes from Egypt, Israel, Italy and Morocco.
Cook’s tip. Potatoes must be stored properly – thick brown paper bags are best – and kept in the dark at all times.

Pre-prepared vegetables
Ready-cut organic vegetables, such as broccoli spears and runner beans, are becoming widely available in supermarkets. As with salad packs, washing in chlorine solutions is forbidden. Frozen organic vegetables are also available from supermarkets and organic shops.

Sprouting seeds
These are the healthiest and easiest way to add vitamins to your winter salads. Look out for organic beansprouts, alfalfa, chickpeas and mixed-bean sprouts in the chilled cabinet of the supermarket. Use them as soon as possible.

Squashes
Squashes are the winter vegetables par excellence. They store well until spring, have a rich, satisfying flavour, a dense, smooth texture, are highly nutritious and are easily digestible too. The orange-fleshed varieties such as Kabocha and Crown Prince are the best. Organic squashes are easy to grow at home and are a popular box-scheme vegetable. They are also sold in supermarkets and are now imported from New Zealand.
Cook’s tip. Squashes make superlative soups and purées, and are excellent when cut into wedges, brushed with olive oil, and simply roasted.