January is the month of citrus fruits, which come to our aid with vitamin C and bioflavonoids to strengthen the immune system and protect us from seasonal ailments; to absorb the active compounds in citrus fruits as effectively as possible, we should try to eat them with the peel on (organic citrus fruits, obviously — from organic farming — otherwise we risk eating a fair amount of pesticides too). Dried fruit and nuts, nutritious and energy-giving, are a great help in keeping out the cold, and are also excellent for making tasty, light desserts. In the pot, despite the low temperatures, there are plenty of vegetables we can cook: from cabbages to turnip tops, from potatoes to pumpkin!

Seasonal fruit and vegetables

Vegetables: garlic, beetroot, broccoli, artichoke, cardoon, catalogna chicory, carrot, cauliflower, white cabbage, savoy cabbage, Brussels sprouts, chicory and chicory leaves, onions, turnip tops, chard, sauerkraut, daikon, wild herbs, fennel, endive, lettuce, potatoes, leek, red radicchio, turnip, scorzonera, salsify, spinach, Jerusalem artichoke, lamb's lettuce, pumpkin.

Fruit: kiwi, orange, bergamot, citron, kumquat, mandarin, clementine, lemon, grapefruit, apple, pears, dried fruit and nuts (figs, prunes, raisins, dates, walnuts, almonds, apricots and so on).