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December is the heart of the holiday season, yet it is a time when our orchards and gardens seem bare, except for the hardiest of winter greens. Look carefully though, and you'll find citrus orchards with glossy green leaves and aromatic oranges, lemons, tangerines, and grapefruit. Barns and produce coolers are full with sweet and savory winter squash, pears and apples. Nuts are harvested and kept fresh in cold storage, and summers fruits are dried and waiting to be combined in salads, stuffings, and used to make cookies, pies, and tarts. The new olive harvest is in, and Olio Nuevo, the just-pressed olive oil, is sought after by cooks. The landscape may seem barren, but the pantry, larder, and gardens are full. Add to this the near-by bounty of the Pacific Ocean, with seasonal crab, oysters, clams, and fish and the holiday table will be groaning.
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