try 10 new vegetables

I was getting really bored with eating just tomatoes and red sauce for everything. So I decided I would try some new green veggie. Down at the Downtown Tacoma Farmer’s Market I walked up to one of the booths that had all these edible plants and I asked what would go good with my recently bought salmon. The lady enthused “Arugula!” and let me try some. It was pretty dry and had an almost bitter taste to it. It was only $2 so I bought some and I’ve had them with tomatoes and the salmon. It wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t super tasty.

CALLALOO. It’s Jamaican, just like the workers at the farm where we get the vegetables, that we don’t get at the farmers market. It’s leafy, green, and very good. I steamed it like spinach, then sauted it in garlic & butter. I have to say, I’m a big fan. It’s less bitter than spinach, and has stems that are similar to broccoli. Very good.

I’d never prepared them. I roasted local candy beets in oo. They were pretty darn good. I’m unsure why I’d never had them before, I think my parents only got the canned pre sliced kind, pretty unappealing.

Bought some baby pac choi from Lull farms, http://www.lullfarmllc.com/, and used it in stir fry. It was good.
I didn’t like it as steamed greens though.
AO

They are very easy to use… just grill them, and make something like this:
http://www.crankynstinky.com/blog/index.php?/archives/242-Grillied-Salsa-verde.html

This was in a mix I got at the farmer’s market. It was more bitter than I like my salad. It might be okay mixed with very bland lettuce and a sweet dressing.

I checked out Wegman’s this weekend when I was in Erie and found a few vegetables that I hadn’t been able to locate. The lupine bean, or lupini, is actually poisonous if untreated. It contains many bitter alkaloids that have to be removed using multiple soakings in brine. That poisonous factor made me want to try them.

Often used as a snack with beer, the salty flavor that remains from the brine would make it a good match. I left the husks on while I ate them, though I could’ve shucked them like some choose to. There wasn’t anything outstanding about them, and not being a big salt fan I doubt I’ll eat them again once I finish this bottle of them.

I tried these with dinner tonight. I steamed some frozen ones for 10 minutes and then added some salt and pepper to season. The smaller ones I can handle okay, but the bigger ones aren’t very palatable to me. I’m glad I’ve exposed myself to them, because now I won’t be as scared of them. I might get these every once in a while again…although I’d rather try the fresh produce ones if I can find them, so I can pick out the smaller ones and not get any bigger ones.

I had a lunch at a restaurant on Sunday and turnip greens came with it. I decided that I’d give them another try, and they were actually pretty good. I don’t know if I’d eat them all the time, but I won’t automatically dismiss them as a side dish option any more.

I included these in a Mexican style dish that I made yesterday. They seem similar to poblano peppers in taste to me. Not very spicy at all. (This may be attributed to my taking out the seeds and ribs, though or my extended cooking time.) I’d use them again.