Kids have always resisted eating their veggies. Some don’t like the taste, some don’t like the colors, and some just do refuse them because they can. But adults don’t always eat all their veggies either.

It’s much easier to grab something and toss it in the microwave or tear open a bag of chips than to prepare a salad that doesn’t come out of a bag. Plus, while many vegetables are delicious, some need a little help to get up to delicious. Broccoli is one of those vegetables.

Of all the vegetables out there, broccoli is one that everyone should be eating. Bite per bite, broccoli’s nutritional content beats that of any other veggie out there. It’s chock-full of vitamin C, vitamin A, folic acid, calcium, and fiber. In fact, its calcium content is so high that it is a recommended that anyone who does not consume dairy products regularly add broccoli to his or her diet to get a good dose of the bone-building mineral.

Like most vegetables, broccoli is very low in calories, so it definitely makes for a healthy snack.

Another benefit is that broccoli is in season this time of year making it one of the few vegetables that actually grows during the winter months. Up until just a few years ago, broccoli didn’t even grow in South Carolina. But researchers at the United States Department of Agriculture Vegetable Laboratory located right off of Edisto on Highway 17 have been studying broccoli and promoting its growth in the states and all along the East Coast.

Prior to its growth in SC and along the East Coast, almost 95% of all broccoli consumed in the US was grown on the West Coast, meaning it traveled thousands and thousands of miles before ever reaching grocery stores and tables tops.

So now that it is becoming more readily available in the south, this means consumers can stop at farmer’s markets and roadside stands on the way to the beach and even on the island to get some locally grown broccoli and taste the difference.

If fresh local broccoli isn’t enough to convince you to try some, then consider doctoring up in the form of broccoli salad.

Like many recipes found in the south, this one includes bacon, but feel free to leave it out.

Here’s what you’ll need for broccoli salad:

5 stalks of broccoli flowerets

½ lb of bacon

1 medium red onion, sliced

1 cup of golden raisins

1 cup of mayo

½ cup of sugar

½ cup of dry roasted peanuts

2 tablespoons of white vinegar

Fry the bacon and crumble it up. Set it aside. Then you can either sauté the red onion in the bacon grease or just add it in raw. Combine the mayo, sugar, and white vinegar together. Pour the mixture over the broccoli flowerets, peanuts, and raisins. Stir in the onion and bacon. Chill for two hours or overnight.

Granted the mayo and sugar make it a tad on the unhealthy side, it’s still a great way to incorporate raw broccoli into the diet.

It’s finally happened. It’s finally cold on Edisto.

Granted, it’s much warmer here than most places because when I say cold, I mean it’s in the 50s and 60s with lows in the 30s and 40s. The beach and the island are still bathed in sunlight almost daily and the marshes are coated with a sparkling frost in the mornings. Guess it’s really just colder on Edisto and not cold.

However, for an area that generally experiences warm southern weather, these colder temperatures give way to a time for locals and visitors to enjoy cooking some of the traditional comfort food perfect for chilly days and nights.

Creamy Chicken Chowder is heart, delicious, and will warm you up while looking out over the ocean on a chilly evening.

Ingredients:

4 slices of bacon (chopped)

1 cup sliced celery

½ cup chopped sweet onion

1 whole chicken breast, cubed

1 can of chicken broth

2 cups of unpeeled sliced potatoes

1/8 teaspoon of pepper

2 cups of half and half

¼ cup of flour

RedHot to taste

Fry the bacon and then set aside, but keep the grease. Add the celery, onion, and chicken and cook until the chicken is no longer pink. Add in the broth, potatoes, and pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking.

In a small bowl, combine the remaining ½ cup of half and half and flour and blend together by hand. Stir into the chowder until it bubbles and thickens. Stir in the RedHot to taste (you can never have too much RedHot).

Top with shredded cheddar cheese and serve.