Ah, summer. It is gone – but it will come again, bringing fresh greens and sun-ripened, garden fresh, juicy tomatoes … I shun store-bought tomatoes that have traveled in refrigerated trucks across the continent. They don’t even come close in flavor to our summer garden gems.

Fresh greens also travel long distances to reach us. I try to calm my craving by using frozen greens in frittatas and other dishes, but I do occasionally give in and purchase spinach or Romaine.

For most winter salads, I use what we have on hand: pickles, kraut, and roots from the root cellar. Roots must be peeled or scrubbed, as they’re coated with sand and (unless you grow your own or buy organic) they absorb pesticides and residual chemicals from the soil. They have a fairly long shelf life if stored under the right conditions, which include temperature and humidity.

Roots are botanically designed to store energy in the form of carbohydrates. The relative amount of sugars and starches that they contain varies, with beets being the highest in sugar, while potatoes are highest in complex carbohydrates. Many root vegetables are high in fiber, vitamins and minerals. Roots channel minerals like potassium, calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, silicon, and manganese from the soil into the growing plant.

While the stored beets, carrot, celeriac, leeks, kohlrabi, cabbage and apples aren’t fresh, they are from our garden or from local farmers we trust. Their flavors vary from sweet to savory, and colors range from red and orange to green and white. Along with other winter fare like kraut, pickles, cabbage and apples, roots have been a traditional winter staple for generations.

Whether naturally fermented with brine or preserved with vinegar, pickled vegetables combine to create wonderful winter salads. In the Mediterranean region, brined veggies are an essential accompaniment to any meal — and many different vegetables are pickled. In addition to cucumbers and cabbage, olives, mushrooms, peppers, eggplant, zucchini, carrots, chilies, garlic, cauliflower, turnips, okra and green beans all make wonderful pickles. Italians serve giardiniera, a combination of pickled veggies. It is often mixed into salads, eaten with bread in a sandwich, or served alone as a side dish or condiment. Another Italian favorite is Neapolitan Insalata di rinforzo, made with lightly steamed cauliflower, spicy pickled red peppers, olives, anchovies and capers. In the Middle East, hamucim, or “sours,” are combinations of pickled veggies served at every meal.

Pickles are not only delicious, they are healthy and naturally low in calories; an average dill pickle has just 15. Both brine and vinegar create an environment that prevents the growth of microorganisms which cause food to decay and can make you sick. When preserved raw, pickled vegetables are a good source of fiber and vitamins.

Fermenting vegetables with salt doesn’t just conserve them, it makes them more nutritious and easier to digest. For example, kraut and kimchi have more lactobacilli than yogurt (that is the bacteria responsible for the fermentation of the vegetables). The distinctive sour flavor and good storage capability both result from lactic acid that forms when these lactobacilli ferment sugars in the fresh cabbage. As they digest the sugars, they produce vitamin B. According to Korean scientists, kimchi (Korean style fermented cabbage) has a much higher concentration of many B vitamins (B1, B2, B12 and niacin) than fresh cabbage.

Unfortunately, pickled vegetables made commercially and sold in supermarkets are canned. Heat and pressure used in the canning process destroys any beneficial lactobacillus bacteria as well as many vitamins and enzymes. Look for fresh pickled vegetables at ethnic markets, natural food stores and specialty markets like the Pickle Shop in Saranac Lake. Or make your own pickled vegetables using traditional methods –and avoid canning them.

The three salads below use winter fare: green beans from the freezer, roots from the root cellar, and pickles.

Green bean and

pickle salad

Dressing ingredients:

1 small clove garlic

1 / 2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon basil

1 Tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

2 Tablespoons fresh-squeezed lemon juice

10 oz. package frozen cut green beans

1 can garbanzo beans

1 / 2 red bell pepper (about 1 cup)

1 to 2 cups combined pickles (or 1 to 2 dill pickles)

1 small sweet onion, diced (about 1 cup) or two to three scallions, sliced

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

Directions:

Crush the garlic with salt. Place in bowl with remaining dressing ingredients; whisk to blend with a fork.

Steam green beans just until tender-crisp. Or, place in colander and douse with boiling water.

Drain the garbanzo beans and rinse in a colander. Seed and dice the pepper; chop the pickle; peel and slice onion thin, or dice.

Add all vegetables to the salad bowl you made the dressing in. Toss well to coat with the dressing.

Serves two to three.

Beet, apple and

spinach salad

Ingredients:

1 small beet (about one cup, shredded or finely chopped)

1 small sweet onion (about 1 cup, sliced thin)

1 apple, cored, washed, diced (about 1 cup)

2 cups torn baby spinach greens

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup creme fraiche, sour cream or Greek yogurt

1 teaspoon quality mustard

1/2 teaspoon honey

1/4 cup chopped, toasted walnuts, optional, for garnish

Directions:

Peel beet and shred or slice fine. Peel onion and slice into thin half-rings. Wash, core, and dice apple.

Combine in bowl with spinach; sprinkle with salt and toss.

In small bowl, combine creme fraiche, mustard and honey; fold into salad and toss gently again.

Divide into two or three bowls and garnish with toasted walnuts, if desired. Serves two to three.

Simple Kraut and Carrot Salad

Ingredients:

1 large carrot, shredded

1 cup sauerkraut, with liquid

1 to 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil, optional

2 to 3 Tablespoons fresh minced parsley or chives, optional

Directions:

Shred carrot into salad bowl. Add kraut, and mix well. Taste; adjust seasonings. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with parsley, if desired. Serve.

This salad is better if it sits 30 to 60 minutes to blend flavors.

This salad is very adaptable. You can keep it simple — just carrots and kraut — or add the other ingredients like thinly sliced celery, shredded cabbage, diced apples or lettuce. You can also add walnuts or crumbled white cheese like queso fresco or feta. If you add more ingredients, you may need more kraut (and/or more olive oil) for the “dressing.” It’s fun to play and try different combinations!

With just one carrot and one cup of kraut, it makes one to two servings depending on serving size.

Author of the award-winning cookbook Garden Gourmet: Fresh & Fabulous Meals from your Garden, CSA or Farmers’ Market, Yvona Fast lives in Lake Clear and has two passions: cooking and writing. She can be reached at www.wordsaremyworld.com or on Facebook as Author

Yvona Fast.