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Have you even ever heard of salsify? No? Well, then you know how successful NAGS has been.…

By now most adventurous eaters have tasted their way around the globe. On demand, our supermarkets have stocked exotic fruits and vegetables from all over the planet, and the distinct flavors of Southeast Asia, Mexico, and Italy have profoundly changed the way we cook. We have dined on asparagus in January and come to regard the tomato as a year-round vegetable instead of the seasonal treat it truly is.

“Eat locally, spice globally” are the watchwords that have recently begun to inform tables across America. Best-selling works by Michael Pollen (The Omnivore’s Dilemma) and Barbara Kingsolver (Animal, Vegetable, Miracle) have strongly influenced people to think about the choices they make when shopping for food and to buy locally grown foods that have not been shipped over long distances, accumulating many “food miles.” This in turn means eating seasonal foods, at their peak, and fits in nicely with a growing aesthetic that celebrates fresh foods in their seasons. Eating locally means continuing the practice of enjoying the flavors of all the great cuisines of the world, while focusing the bulk of our choices on the foods that grow close to home.

The United States is blessed with a variety of different climates, but almost all locales experience some sort of winter, when few, if any, crops can be grown. Fortunately a variety of vegetables store well and can be enjoyed fresh instead of frozen or canned. These include root vegetables, hard-shelled winter squashes, and hardy greens that hold up well in the cold. Dried beans are another vegetable that keeps through the winter; heart-healthy, full of fiber, inexpensive, easily stored, and delicious, they make a lot of sense in the modern diet.

In recent years, I have grown to have a greater appreciation of turnips and rutabagas. I have served Brussels sprouts to a friend who said it was the first time she had enjoyed them, because I roasted them. I have made peace with parsnips, particularly if they are roasted. Kale is such a favored vegetable in my household that we actually miss it in the summer.

The hardy greens, winter squashes, and root vegetables have been largely ignored in recent years as people have been tempted by the unfamiliar and exotic. But a number of factors have converged to make eating long-keeping winter vegetables a good choice. Between an awareness that processed and exotic foods bring with them a significant carbon footprint and a shortfall in many household economies in the grip of a global recession, eating more humble vegetables makes sense. A lot of sense.

It is time for a rediscovery and celebration of the humble vegetables that have sustained so many people for so long before the advent of transcontinental shipping and overnight transoceanic flights. And if this includes a rediscovery of an unfamiliar root vegetable like salsify, then so much the better.

Eat More Vegetables

While dietary wisdom changes seasonally, the one piece of advice that never alters is “eat more vegetables.” It turns out that a diet filled with winter vegetables isn’t boring at all. The variety of dishes one can enjoy is infinite, and this collection of more than 250 recipes is only a beginning.

One theme that emerged in my experiments with using only winter vegetables in the winter is that favorite dishes are easily adapted. We love California nori rolls, a vegetarian sushi roll usually made with avocado, carrot, and scallions. Well, my experiments revealed that nori rolls made with carrots, turnips, and red cabbage are even more beautiful to behold and equally tasty. Love New England clam chowder? Try a scallop-and-salsify chowder. Love beef stew? Choose roots for the vegetables. This isn’t about applying some abstract “locavore” discipline. This is just good eating.

Many people think that salads start with lettuce. And in the summer, this is often true in