Every once in a while, photographer and dear friend Maria Robledo emails images she has made in-the-moment, in response to whatever was going on around her. They are invariably startling and illuminating; Maria sees like no one we know. Her way has opened our eyes over the years. This time, she showed us the marvels of root vegetables.

They came from Essex Farm, a remarkable CSA where your yearly subscription delivers organic, seriously alive, delicious vegetables, meats, eggs, and dairy to your door.

Cooking with Essex’ offerings means cooking with the seasons, and since it’s deep winter, Maria was cooking mostly with root vegetables, which are pretty gnarly at this time of year. While she was cutting the vegetables for soup (recipe here), she turned them into little still-lives with an unexpected whimsy…

…a homely turnip is dressed in a wondrous adornment of parsnip, onion and cabbage…

Maria Robledo
Maria Robledo

…beet, carrot, onion: balanced…

Maria Robledo
Maria Robledo

…turnip, celery root, potato, onion, parsnip look like they are wearing hats…

Maria Robledo
Maria Robledo

…potato with a carrot in a chive dress…

Maria Robledo
Maria Robledo