Spring Vege Bag - Week 3
Click on any vegetable that has a link to see previous posts with recipes and cooking tips. You can also browse the filter the whole vege bag archive by vegetable here.
This week we have:
Rocket (Ahoaho māra kai)
Coriander (Ahoaho māra kai) or microgreens (Crooked Vege Ōtaki)
Salad radish (Ahoaho māra kai), Spanish radish or Tokyo turnips (Crooked Vege Ōtaki)
Carrots (Crooked Vege Ōtaki)
Pumpkins (Crooked Vege Ōtaki/Live2Give Organics)
Beetroot (Live2Give Organics)
Leeks (Live2Give Organics)
Potatoes (Mingiroa Farm)
Vege highlights/suggested uses
Black Spanish Radish
Background
A very old vegetable - cultivated in Egypt at least as far back as 2700 BCE!! It was popular in the more recent centuries in Europe (the earliest European records document cultivation in the mid 1500s), until about 100 years ago when the more familiar “spring” (or salad) radishes rose to prominence in the western palette.
Like so many edible plants (of which there are tens of thousands), its largely faded from memory. But apparently is enjoying a resurgence due to apparent health benefits - its rich in vitamins A, B, C, and D, iron and calcium. You can even buy it in powdered and pilled form as a dietary supplement. Is there any vegetable or fruit that hasn’t been marketed as a superfood, turned into powder and sold as a supplement?
Cooking
Personally I prefer to enjoy my food rather than turning it into its quickest-to-swallow form (apparently most of the nutrients are in the skin).
We’ve found these are less spicy than typical salad radishes and firmer in texture. The flavour is a bit earthier and a little reminiscent of daikon. You can eat them raw (thinly sliced would be my recommendation), but we preferred them cooked. Roasted, fried with butter and garlic, or in a stew/soup. If you find you’re not that into them, they can “disappear” into a stirfry or curry!
I can also imagine them working really well pickled or in a kimchi!
Tokyo Turnips
Turnips often get a bad warp. But this variety is sweet, and buttery in texture. Our friend, Charlie (who made the Vege Bag kaupapa video on our home page) eats them straight out of the māra, like a dirty apple, when he visits Crooked Vege.
My favourite use is to cut in large pieces and pan fry (or roast) in butter with garlic, and squeeze lemon over the top. Optional (tasty) additions: soy sauce, chilli, loads of black pepper.
They’re also great sliced or cut into small cubes in a salad, or in a stir fry.
Ka kite ano,
Jon
