A Winter Treasure: The Potato Harvest and Cozy Oven Dishes

As winter slowly approaches, the rhythm of our community farm changes. The abundance of summer vegetables makes way for hearty, earthy crops — and guess what takes center stage? The humble potato!

And what a harvest it was this year. Nature truly smiled on us. I like to believe it’s because of the care we give to our land — no pesticides, no chemicals, no heavy machines compacting the soil or destroying the living ecosystem beneath. Just respect, patience, and teamwork.

Together with a nearby community farm, we harvested 50 cubic crates of potatoes — half for us, half for them. That means each member receives roughly 40 kg of potatoes to enjoy through the winter season. For our household of three, that’s about 120 kg of beautiful, local, chemical-free potatoes — a delicious challenge for creative, plant-based cooking!

This week, I made two cozy winter dishes to kick off potato season:

1) Red Cabbage and Potato Oven Dish

Ingredients:

• 7 large potatoes, peeled and chopped for mashing

• 1 red cabbage, finely chopped

• 3 apples, cubed

• 5 cloves

• 3 cardamom pods

• 3 bay leaves

• 1 cup red wine

• 1 cup natural vinegar

• 3-5 tsp brown sugar (to your taste)

• Plant-based butter & milk for the mash

• Pepper & nutmeg to taste

Preparation:

1. In a large pot, combine the red cabbage, apples, and all spices. Add the wine, vinegar, and sugar. Let it cook and then simmer for about 45 minutes.

2. In another pot, boil the potatoes until soft. Drain, then mash with plant-based butter, milk, pepper, and nutmeg.

3. Grease a baking dish with oil. Spread the cooked red cabbage at the bottom and top with the mashed potatoes.

4. Bake until the top turns beautifully golden brown.

Warm, colorful, and perfectly comforting on a chilly evening.

2) Mixed Oven Vegetables

Ingredients:

• 7 potatoes

• 1 romanesco

• 1 kohlrabi

• 2 onions

• 2 handfuls of green beans

• 2 purple (or orange) carrots

• Olive oil, plant-based butter, and spices to taste (e.g. curry-powder, paprika-powder, pepper)

Preparation:

1. Preheat the oven to 220°C.

2. Cut all vegetables into medium-sized cubes (except the beans). Spread the potatoes in a baking dish with quite some good olive oil a few pieces of butter and bake for 10–15 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, cook the romanesco and green beans briefly until nearly tender, and pour that cooking water over the, in cubes cut, carrots and kohlrabi.

4. Add the onion rings to the potatoes in the oven and bake for another 10 minutes.

5. Add the remaining vegetables and your spices, mix well, and bake for another 10 minutes.

6. Switch the oven to top-heat (grill) and roast for 10–15 more minutes, stirring occasionally, until everything is slightly crisp and full of flavor.

Simple, pure, and straight from the land — that’s the joy of community farming. Each bite carries the story of the soil, the care of our volunteers, and the gratitude for what nature gives us.

Here’s to a cozy, sustainable winter full of flavor and warmth — powered by potatoes!