Fresh Vegetables -- Spelled Y-U-M

Keep in mind that grow-your-own veggies will need more washing than the pre-washed ones you get in the store.  A few cleanup procedures before eating will minimize any sand clinging to the vegetable.

Tricks and supplies for cleaning your fresh treasures:

• Soak:  Let gravity do some of the cleaning and soak the vegetable before starting any other cleaning steps. Fill a big bowl with tap water (or filtered from the tap - your preference).  Then let the vegetables soak in the water for 15 minutes, then remove the vegetables from the water.  For sandy leafy vegetables, such as spinach, kale, mustard, or chard, you may need to repeat this process a few times.  
• Scrub:  Use a vegetable brush on the plant while you rinse it off.  Skip this step if cleaning leafy veggies.  Some stores sell soap formulated to clean vegetables.  If your vegetables are just sandy, it's probably not necessary.  But if you are cooking for someone with an immune deficiency or a small child, you might want to consider this.
• Rinse and drain.
• Prepare.  For the healthiest eating do NOT remove the skins.  They are LOADED with vitamins.  And YES YOU CAN learn  to enjoy this part of the vegetable.  Even carrots in a salad don't look unappetizing if you keep in mind how much the skins benefit YOU!  OK, you can peel your beets and pumpkin, etc... Unless you want to cook your pumpkin pie in a shell...  :)  See "What Part of the Plant are You Eating (and Cooking)" for the "First Pumpkin Pie (sort of)" recipe that makes the shell part of the pie from PBS's Autumwatch series.  Well, I did NOT get my husband to eat the shell, but I DID!!!!

Recipe tips:

Deborah took home a sweet potato, microwaved it, and used it as a healthy snack while she ran errands.  And YES you CAN:  eat the skins, that is.  An average size sweet potato should be microwaved on high for around 5 minutes.  Test it by sticking a fork into the flesh; if it feels moderately soft, it's ready to cool and eat. Remember that the potato will continue to cook AFTER it has been taken out of the microwave. If it's still hard, rotate the potato so the bottom is on the top (to cook it more evenly) give it another minute and test again.

Traditional southern recipes for winter greens (mustard, kale, collards) prepare them by cooking in water and flavoring the "juice" with bacon or salt pork.  As a "northern girl" I prefer to saute them in a vegetable oil (adding a little water to keep them from drying out.  I mix the prepared greens with sauteed sweet onions and a dash of sugar to take away some of the bitter taste.  With strong-flavored mustards I add some sesame oil and mix them into an oriental stir-fry.

Arugula, it's not just for salads!  The peppery taste of arugula can spice up a lot of foods.  Mickey's son added it to pasta, giving this classic dish a savory kick.

Kohlrabi is a popular European vegetable.  Both the stems/leaves and bulbs are edible.  The leaves can be sauteed like winter greens (see above).  The bulb can be cooked in water and prepared like mashed potatoes or soup, or roasted or sauteed and flavored with garlic, Parmesan cheese or herbs.  Young and tender kohlrabi may be eaten raw, without peeling.