Thankfully, we're not quite here yet. Photo: Mark Skrobola/Flickr

There are two kinds of native New Englanders. The first will loudly proclaim how he loves having “four seasons” here — hot summers, lush falls, dramatic springs, picturesque winters. I understand this, in theory. But I’m not one of these people. Winter, for me, is a long and emotional and difficult haul.

It’s November, and so I’m slowly settling into hibernation mode, beginning to accept the winter depression that affects me every year. I always love the beginning of fall and dread the end of it, when a light jacket isn’t enough and the leaves thin out. I start listening to “California Dreaming” on repeat. And I make lots of soup, of course, but even that feels depressing. Try mustering the same excitement for kale and lentil soup as you would for a ripe summer tomato or juicy corn on the cob.

Borscht is a little different. It’s comforting and warm and satisfying, like the best winter soups, but it’s also one of the most colorful dishes you’ll ever make — who can take themselves too seriously when you’re eating something hot pink? It can be made simply, with little more than beets and beef broth, or fussed up with all the fixings. I like borscht with a little bit of everything in it, like this version, adapted from The Joy of Cooking, on Matkonation.

I like it served with dark rye and a side of stuffed cabbage. Those Eastern Europeans — they know a thing or two about lasting through the winter.