Vegetable Cooking Hints

A typical June share
A typical June share
A typical June share

Beans (including Green, Yellow, and Snap Peas)

Preparation: Cut off Stem Ends

Serving Ideas:

  • Eat raw
  • Steam and add to salads: tangy dressings work well
  • Use in a stir fry.
  • Blanch, add chickpeas, boiled potatoes and olives for salad nicoise.

Beets

Preparation: Cut off greens, scrub beet and rinse

Serving Ideas:

  • Roast at 425°F for about an hour. When cool, peel the skin and cut into wedges.
  • Boil 20-40 minutes until soft
  • Salad ideas: add green beans, goat cheese and balsamic vinaigrette.
  • Add pears, celery, pecans with a squeeze of lemon.
  • Stir fry
  • Greens are edible raw or cooked

Cabbages (including Bok Choy and Napa)

Preparation:  Cut out heavy base and remove outer leaves, then slice or shred and rinse.

Serving Ideas:

  • Braise with teriyaki sauce and vegetable stock.
  • Use in a stir fry.
  • Add to shredded carrots, red onion for a slaw.

Broccoli

Preparation: Peel or pare the tough skin of stalk. Separate the florets and slice the stalks.

Serving Ideas:

  • Steam and add Asian style sauce.
  • Use in a stir fry.
  • Shred stalk for slaw.

Broccoli Leaves

Preparation: Remove thick stems, wash and chop.

Serving Ideas:

  • Cook like any greens
  • Stuff like stuffed cabbage
  • Simmer and use as a base for broccoli soup

Brussels Sprouts

Preparation: Wash, then trim off brown stem ends, cut in half if large.

Serving Ideas:

  • Coat in oil, sprinkle with salt, pepper and/or brown sugar, roast until soft

Celeriac

Preparation: Peel or slice away rough skin.

Serving Ideas:

  • Roast with root veggies
  • Dice and use in soups
  • Can replace celery for similar taste
  • Mash with potatoes

Daikon Radish

Preparation: Scrub well, trim ends.

Serving Ideas:

  • Add to slaw
  • Add to soups and stir fries
  • Has a peppery taste

Garlic

Preparation: Rub off loose white paper.  Smash down the clove with the side of a heavy knife then cut.

Serving Ideas:

  • Use as a base in just about any dish.  If sautéing, garlic cooks quickly so watch it carefully.
  • Roast – coat bulb in olive oil, roast 20 minutes @375 degrees

Garlic Scapes

Preparation: Wash and slice.

Serving Ideas:

  • Use instead of garlic.
  • Make into a pesto.

Greens (including Collard, Kale, Mustard Greens, Swiss Chard)

Preparation:  Cut off stems. Wash by placing in a bowl and swishing around, lift greens out of the water then use.

Serving Ideas:

  • Sauté with garlic- alone or add to pasta along with fresh cheese.
  • Add to soups.
  • Chard stems are edible, add to soup or stir fry.
  • Dry roast raisins in a skillet, add swiss chard until wilted then add olives and a splash of vinegar.

Kohlrabi

Preparation:  Remove the leaves, stems, tough ribs, and outer skin.

Serving Ideas:

  • Shred and add to slaw.
  • Slice and serve with dip.
  • Sauté or stir fry.
  • Add peeled kohlrabi to potatoes for any potato dish.

Lettuce (including Bibb, Red Leaf, Romaine, Boston)

Preparation:  Wash thoroughly with a salad spinner but don’t let it soak. Drain completely and pat dry.

Serving Ideas:

  • Add to salads of all types.  You can get creative!  For example:
    • Bibb lettuce with grilled corn, radish, red pepper with a Ranch dressing
    • Red leaf, roasted mushrooms and Asian pear with a sesame dressing
  • Grill Romaine hearts.

Onion

Preparation:  Peel away skin. Cut off end without root then slice, dice, or sliver.

Serving Ideas:

  • Pickle onions
  • Use as base along with garlic
  • Roast onions with root vegetables

Parsnip

Preparation:  Trim off ends.  Peel skin then cut.

Serving Ideas:

  • Roast chunks of parsnip with other root vegetables.
  • Add to soups.
  • Shred and add to slaw.

Potato

Preparation:  Delicately scrub.  Peel skin (if desired) then cut.

Serving Ideas:

  • Bake and serve
  • Add chunks to a curry.
  • Boil then cool and make a potato salad- potatoes, capers, celery, red onion with mustard vinaigrette.

Spinach

Preparation:  Cut off stems.  Wash by placing in a bowl and swishing around, lift greens out of the water then use.

Serving Ideas:

  • Use in salad.
  • Braise with garlic and shallots.
  • Shred and add to spaghetti sauce.

Turnip (also Rutabaga)

Preparation:  Trim top and bottom, then peel.

Serving Ideas:

  • Shred and add to slaw.
  • Dice turnips and add to tomatoes, olives, and cheese chunks.

Salad Turnips

Preparation:  Scrub and slice.

Serving Ideas:

  • Eat raw with dips or in sandwiches and salads.
  • Sauté or add to stir fry.
  • Cut thin and bake like baked French fries.

Winter Squash (Butternut, Acorn, Delicata etc.)

Preparation:  Trim top and bottom.  Peel skin, cut down the middle and scoop out seeds.

Serving Ideas:

  • Roast with maple syrup and cinnamon.
  • Add to curry and/or soups.
  • Add butternut squash to steamed lentils.
  • Seeds are edible too – rinse and remove pulp, then bake or toast