During this month, I, and everyone around me, discover that I am the World’s Biggest Baby because of my constant, never-ending mantra of, “I’m so cooooold.”  You’d think that being Canadian and having lived in Ontario all of my life would prepare me for the cold weather and that by this time I’d have developed some kind of a resistance to it, right?  Nope.  Not happening at all.  My poor roommate has to deal with me constantly shuffling around the apartment wrapped in a blanket, complaining about how cold I am.

HOWEVER.  Other things that we all get to discover are how many awesome fruits and vegetables are available in December.  Take a peek at some winter vegetables you should check out, and maybe get some inspiration to try out in some new recipes this month.

However, with all this talk about ‘what’s available,’ I can’t help but think back to something I saw earlier this year in the summer.  I was wandering around the AGO, and I stumbled upon this photograph by artist Iain Baxter:

Entitled “Still Life with Winter Vista,” this photograph really struck me with how our perceptions of ‘what’s available,’ have changed with the seemingly endless availability that stores provide us with.  While on one hand, it’s pretty wonderful that if I’m craving a banana or a pineapple in December, I can go buy one — but on the other hand, this photograph makes it seem, I don’t know, disturbing and false… it almost feels, sorry for the dramatization, but a bit chilling, no?

Every time I cut open an orange or zest a bit of the peel, I think of Christmas — my mom always makes sure the house is littered with plenty of citrus fruits during Christmas-time, and because of that, I always have that connotation associated with it.  Along the same note, pineapples just seem strange to me in winter time.  And when I think of summer, I get excited not only for a break from school, but also because there’s nothing more wonderful than fresh, delicious, Ontario peaches in August.

That being said, if you’re interested in finding a complete list of what’s available in December, check out Foodland Ontario’s complete list of what’s available to give yourself some ideas for some winter-fied recipes.