try 10 new vegetables

“YELLOW BEETS: Beets are members of the Goosefoot family. Many members of this family have deep tap roots, so they can grow in salty soils. Beta is the most important genus and includes such vegetables as the beetroot, chard, and sugar beet. Other members include orach, spinach, quinoa, and samphire. All these cultivated forms descended from the sea beet, a wild seashore plant that grows around the Mediterranean and Atlantic coasts of Europe and North Africa. This plant has small roots, but the leaves and stems are still eaten. Early Greek writers referred to this plant; by about 300 BCE, there were many varieties producing edible roots. The ancient Greeks and Romans ate the leaves and used the very small root for medicinal purposes. By the 3rd century, the Romans were beginning to eat the root as a vegetable. As a result, careful cultivation began to produce a larger root, along with several recipes for its use. The roots are rich in the complex carbohydrates of starches, sugars, and the indigestible fibers of cellulose and hemicellulose. When stored, beets become sweeter as their starches then convert to sugar. Like carrots, beets have such stiff cell walls that it is hard for the human digestive system to extract the nutrients inside. Cooking will not soften the cellulose in the cell walls of the beet, but it will dissolve enough of the hemicellulose so that digestive juices are able to penetrate. Cooking also activates flavour molecules in beets, making them taste better. Before cooking beets, cut off the tops within a couple of inches of the top. This helps lock in the nutrients during cooking. When the tops are attached to any root vegetable, they leech the nutrients from the root. They should be cooked whole and then peeled; otherwise, they bleed all their color and nutrients into the water. The greens and the roots should be stored separately as the greens are highly perishable, but the roots can last for some time in storage. Beets are excellent raw in salads or cooked and served in various dishes, including borscht, or pickled.”

[Text adapted from: http://www.innvista.com/health/foods/vegetables/beets.htm]

[Image from: http://www.northcoastjournal.com/media/cache/issues/052208/FOOD-yellow-beet_c_w250h250.jpg]

“PURPLE POTATOES, also called Blue Potatoes, truly are naturally purple! This is from the same powerful antioxidant that gives blueberries their brilliant color. Purple Peruvian Potatoes were some of the first potatoes harvested. They were saved for Inca kings. Used in Mexican cooking, purple potatoes are gaining popularity in the U.S. They have a naturally creamy flavor and texture and hold their shape well for salads. They stay purple once cooked, but not as vibrant as when raw. Blue Potatoes are very much like Purple Potatoes, with a striking color and wonderful flavor and moist texture. Like the Purple Potato, they hold their shape after cooking. Steam or bake to preserve the color.”

[Adapted from: http://www.deliciousorganics.com/recipes/potatoes.htm]

“JICAMA looks similar to a turnip or a large radish, and it can be used as an alternative to the water chestnut. Its skin is thin and can be gray, tan, or brown in color. Additionally, it has a short root and contains white flesh. It is a popular dietary staple in Latin America and widely grown in Mexico and Central America. There are many names for Jicama including: the Mexican potato, Mexican yam bean, ahipa, saa got, Chinese turnip, lo bok, and the Chinese potato. The skin is typically peeled before eating it raw. Raw jicama does not discolor when exposed to the open air for awhile. Because of this, raw jicama is often used as an accompaniment to raw vegetable platters. When jicama is used in cooking it tends to take on the flavors of the ingredients that it is being combined with. Therefore, jicama is a nice complement to various stir-fry dishes because it blends well with many vegetables and seasonings. Jicama is a very versatile vegetable that contains a high amount of vitamin C, is low in sodium, and has no fat. One adult serving of jicama, which is equal to approximately 1 cup of cubed jicama or 120 grams, also contains only 45 calories. Jicama is available year-round. When purchasing jicama, select tubers that are firm and have dry roots. Make sure that the jicama has an unblemished skin and that it is not bruised. Once purchased, store jicama for up to two weeks in a plastic bag in your refrigerator.”

[Adapted from: http://www.foodreference.com/html/art-jicama-history-facts.html]

2. Sweet Potato
3. Orange Pepper

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.