I am not an eligant, fancy cook. A few days back I discovered some ‘aging’ stew meat in my freezer which I realized needed using. So I gathered an assortment of the winter vegetables I get periodically from a local organic farm and threw together a stew. Into a slow cooker along with the stew meat and some beef broth went: turnip, rutabaga, potato, carrot, onion, garlic and later in the process some red cabbage.

I did NOT add any of the beets.

At the end of the day, supper time, a savory aroma filled my apartment. I loved the stew fresh.

However, age, by the second day, had blended the flavors nicely; I preferred the day-old stew.

Time can mellow a stew and flatter a cook.

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