What’s in Season
Hoop houses, indoor grows deliver bright winter produce
Story and photos by Claire McArthur
Historically, Northern Nevada’s cold and snowy winters have prevented farmers from growing in the winter and early spring. But thanks to advances in hydroponic growing, high tunnels, and hoop houses, some producers in the region are now able to offer fresh vegetables year round.
Prema Farm grows bok choy in its hoop house during the colder months. Photo courtesy of Prema Farm
So while the weather may be drab, there’s no reason your plate should be, too. Dress up your grain bowls with nutrient-dense microgreens grown right in Midtown Reno at Ital Farms. Sauté hoop-house-grown bok choy, kale, and Swiss chard from Reno’s Prema Farm to add local flavor to your udon noodle stir fry. Pat yourself on the back for storing a stash of winter squash from Lattin Farms in Fallon before roasting up a futsu squash and tossing it with the pesto you canned last summer.
Your options for incorporating Northern Nevada goods into meals are plentiful, so this month, challenge yourself to base a meal around what’s in season locally instead of a recipe filled with vegetables that traveled great distances to arrive at the produce aisle. You won’t be disappointed.
Here’s what’s in season in the Reno-Tahoe area:
Prema Farm (Reno)
- Carrots
- Japanese hakurei turnips
- Winter baby arugula
- Mixed salad greens
- French breakfast radishes
- Bacchus radishes
- Beets
- Bok choy
- Swiss chard
- Kale
- Spinach
Bok choy is a good vegetable to add to soups and stir-fries in the late winter and early spring. Photo by Prema Farm
Prema Farm overwinters carrots in a hoop house. Photo by Prema Farm
Ital Farms (Reno)
- Rainbow mix (broccoli, radish, and kohlrabi microgreens)
- Broccoli sprouts
- Radish shoots
- Alfalfa sprouts
Ital Farms grows a variety of microgreens year round in Midtown Reno.
Lattin Farms (Fallon)
- Futsu squash
- Delicata winter squash
- Honeynut winter squash
- Buttercup winter squash
- Spaghetti squash
Futsu squash from Lattin Farms can be stored for months in cool, dark spaces
Dayton Valley Aquaponics (Dayton)
- Cherry tomatoes
- Sweet peppers
- Salad mix
- Sunflower shoots
- Basil
Looking for an idea for how to use this winter’s bounty? Try this unique recipe from Ital Farms.
Dressed-Up Microgreens
(courtesy of Ital Farms in Reno. Serves 2)
– 4 ounces microgreens
– Olive oil
– Nutritional yeast
– Salt
– Pepper
Toss microgreens with a drizzle of olive oil and a few shakes of nutritional yeast, salt, and pepper. Use dressed-up microgreens as a topper for soup, avocado toast, or salads for a crunchy burst of flavor.
Claire (Cudahy) McArthur is a Zephyr Cove-based writer who enjoys experimenting in the kitchen with seasonal ingredients. Though more often than not these dishes are well received, her husband will never let her live down the Inedible Stuffed Acorn Squash Incident of 2012.
