HWN Suggests

Notes From Underground

There was a time when the only root vegetables anyone paid attention to were carrots and potatoes. (I know potatoes are tubers. Whatever.) Turnips were déclassé, celeriac unheard of, beets a pain to clean. The perception has changed, in part because it was all wrong; in part because if you’re going to eat seasonal and local, you are going to eat roots in winter, even if you live in California; and in part because roasted root vegetables, which most of us have discovered only recently, are, like, the greatest thing ever, and even the company cafeteria can’t ruin them.

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 Getting to the Root of Root Vegetables with Chef Abra Berens

Have you ever wondered about the difference between a turnip and a parsnip, or how the heck you can make something as gnarly-looking as a celery root taste good? We know that root vegetables can be some of the harder veggies to learn how to cook and love, which is why we decided to enlist a chef to help you figure them out.

 Totally Tubers: Rugged Winter Veggies Take Root

Even inexperienced cooks know what a carrot or potato looks like. More "obscure" root vegetables are not so easy to recognize, though, and some of them look a lot alike — you know, all those unlabeled brown tubers and knobby spheres in a separate case in the middle of the produce section. What lies beneath the surface is an underappreciated bounty. Beets, carrots, turnips, parsnips and radishes are at least vaguely familiar. Until the second half of the 20th century, salsify, Jerusalem artichokes and their obscure fellows were common, too.

Articles of Interest

A Case for Root Vegetables

If you’re like most of the world, it’s carrots and potatoes. Here are a few others to explore...

Digging Deeper: The Health Benefits of Root Vegetables

Root vegetables are a staple of many diets, but they're also rich in nutrients that may protect against different types of disease. Carrots, parsnips, beets, and turnips all have unique properties that make them stand out from other vegetables or fruits.

Discover YOUR roots!

After months of retrieving nutrients from the soil, many root vegetables are ready for harvest in late fall. Our ancestors relied heavily on the nourishment provided by these roots to sustain them through out the harsh New England winters. With the advent of proper refridgeration, and food distribution methods, these unusual (you could even say, ‘ugly’) looking roots, now, often get overlooked.

Giving Root Vegetables Their Due

“Food writers tend to be exuberant about spring and summer vegetables, but a bit muted about cold-weather produce,” writes Martha Rose Shulman in this week’s Recipes for Health. “That’s too bad: There are plenty of delicious, comforting dishes to be made with vegetables like kohlrabi, rutabaga, celeriac, carrots and turnips.”

Health benefits of root vegetables

The nutritional benefits of root vegetables are underrated. One reason is that this whole category of plant foods sometimes gets whittled down to just potatoes, onions and carrots. But there are so many root vegetables with much to offer:

Humans Were Roasting Root Vegetables 170,000 Years Ago, Study Suggests

The find may challenge modern notions about the starch-starved “paleo diet”

Root for the Root Vegetables

They are often overlooked or underrated, but they have many benefits for your health and your taste buds.

Root Vegetables and Blood Sugar: Understanding the Impact

You’ve likely heard them called tubers or starchy vegetables, but as simply put as possible, a root vegetable is any vegetable that grows underground. Remember that not all root vegetables are tubers, even though they’re a word commonly used to describe most of them. The botanical term geophytes refer to both root vegetables and tubers, but you don’t have to know too much about that. You should know that tubers typically grow beneath the soil. Their vegetables usually form at the base of this root. Common tubers include jicama (a Mexican turnip), sunchokes, cassava, and potatoes.

Root Vegetables—Composition, Health Effects, and Contaminants

Despite their many benefits, root vegetables can also pose a threat, which can be attributed to their ability to accumulate contaminants.

Rooting for root veggies

Though often overlooked, root vegetables like potatoes, yams, carrots, onions, radishes and beets are hard to beat when it comes to getting the most nutrients for the calories you consume. But did you know that each veggie carries its own unique genetic makeup?

The Nutritional Power of Root Vegetables

Root vegetables have long been a staple in cuisines around the world, and their importance becomes even more pronounced during the winter months when the climate can pose a challenge to fresh produce availability. Vegetables such as carrots, beets, and sweet potatoes, are not only beloved for their earthy flavours and versatility in cooking but also for their significant nutritional benefits.

The pros and cons of root vegetables

They're packed with nutrients but high in starchy carbohydrates. Root vegetables — like turnips, rutabagas, and parsnips — may not be the sexiest foods on the table. But they're big celebrities in a number of cuisine trends like the "vegetable forward" movement (which elevates vegetables into creative entrees and side dishes) and root-to-stem cooking (which uses every part of a vegetable, including the tops, stems, and skins).

The Wonderful World of Root Vegetables: Exploring Below-Ground and Above-Ground Varieties

Root vegetables are plants that store energy and nutrients in their roots, allowing them to survive harsh conditions. These roots grow either below the soil (below-ground root vegetables) or just above the soil (above-ground root vegetables). Root vegetables are staples in many traditional diets worldwide because of their ability to provide essential nutrients, diverse flavors, and long shelf life. Unlike leafy greens or fruits, root vegetables have a unique way of storing nutrients.

Turnips: Versatile and Nutritious in Any Season

Turnips are one vegetable you can count on during the winter months; like carrots, they store well. The root vegetables are members of the cruciferae family, the same family that brings you nutrient-rich vegetables like cabbage, kale and broccoli (genus Brassica). Turnips are rich in sulfuric compounds, particularly glucosinolates, that are believed to have antioxidant properties.

Resources

13 Healthy Root Vegetables and Their Benefits

Root vegetables include onions, sweet potatoes, turnips, ginger, beets, and more. They are packed with nutrients and offer a range of possible health benefits.