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Onions

Farmer Kyle with a ton of curing onions.

What’s Below:

About Onions

Cooking & Storage

Recipes

ABOUT Onions

Onions are a root vegetable in the Allium family alongside its plant cousins garlic and leeks, and has origins in Central Asia where it’s been cultivated for over 7,500 years. It’s a vegetable that’s been valued for its medicinal and flavor enhancing properties for centuries, as well as for its symbol for eternal life and veneration for the dead in African traditions such as those in Egypt. Over several centuries, onions have been bred or developed in the wild to create quite a wide variety of types. 

The type most people are familiar with are the large bulbing onions, but there are also your milder torpedo-shaped ones, small round ones, and bunching onions (aka scallions). All have the power to add savory and sweet complexity to salads, soups, stews, braises, and marinades among other culinary applications.

Here at the farm we grow yellow, white, red, and tropea onions. Tropea onions are of particular interest due to their origins in the Tropea area of Calabria Italy where they’ve been cultivated for about 2,000 years. This particular variety is sweeter than most onions (except maybe Vidalia from U.S. Georgia) and traditionally included in antipasto spreads.

COOKING & STORAGE

  • Edible parts: Root (Note: The stems, skin, and leaves are good for stock and broth making both for their vitamin and flavor concentration)

  • Medicine and Nutrients: Onions are packed with Vitamin C, manganese, potassium, water, and fiber. They can improve your digestion due their naturally occurring probiotics, and are also great for maintaining your heart, eye, and joint health. Alongside all of this they’ve long been recognized for their medicinal properties to clean wounds and strengthen your immune system.

  • Storage: Whole onions are best stored in a cool, dry, dark and well-ventilated area. Peeled onions can be stored in the fridge for 10–14 days, while sliced or cut onions can be refrigerated for 5-7 days. Onions can be frozen, ideally chopped or sliced

Ways to Prepare 

  • RAW: When prepared for raw salads or slaws, onions need to be thinly sliced or minced finely.

  • COOKED: Onions can be roasted, baked, caramelized, braised, fried, stir-fried, and pickled.

RECIPES

Authored and compiled by Maya Marie of Deep Routes and Ayllen Kocher

Ginger

What’s Below:

About Ginger

Cooking & Storage

Recipes

ABOUT GINGER

Ginger is a bright, peppery rhizome (or underground stem) in the same plant family as turmeric and cardamom. This rhizome has its origins in Southeast and Central Asia specifically The Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, China, and India where it was first cultivated over 5,000 years ago. Ginger is still a beloved spice in these regions, as well as across the globe, for the flavor and medicinal properties it imparts on dishes both savory and sweet.

COOKING & STORAGE

  • Edible parts: Roots

  • Medicine and Nutrients: Ginger offer trace amounts of potassium and vitamin C, but its medicinal properties are far more important. Ginger is known to relieve digestive, respiratory, and pain issues as well as support a healthy immune system. It’s taken in the form of in teas or other medicinal brews and infusions.

  • Storing and Shelf Stability: Fresh ginger rhizomes need to be stored in a cool moist area like a fridge crisper or a sealed plastic bag, and can keep for about a month or so. Ginger can keep in the freezer for about 6 months minced, sliced, or pureed.

Ways to Prepare 

  • RAW: It’s best to consume raw ginger in small amounts like a spice, it adds incredible punch to dressings, vinaigrettes, salads, spreads, dips, and smoothies. They are also great added to a pickling brine or pickled alone.

  • COOKED: On the savory end, ginger is great to use in stir-fries, marinades, stews, soups and curries. On the sweet end it can be candied, baked in cakes or muffins, or infused into honey or simple syrup for drinks.

RECIPES

Authored and compiled by Maya Marie of Deep Routes.

Potatoes

Photo Source: Markus Spiske

What’s Below:

About Potatoes

Cooking & Storage

Recipes

ABOUT POTATOES

Potatoes are a starchy tuber vegetable in the Solanum family that was first cultivated in the Andes, specifically Peru and Bolivia, anywhere between 4,500 - 10,000 years ago (depending on the type). Indigenous peoples of these regions of the Andes have a deep history of growing and cooking with potatoes, as well as using natural elements to preserve potatoes through freeze drying, dehydration, and fermentation. Indigenous peoples of the Andes have also continued to cultivate a wide variety of potatoes with flesh that come in a range of colors including red, black, and blue.

Although potatoes are often associated with European countries like Ireland, they wouldn’t reach Spain until the mid-1500s, and this would be after Spanish colonizers invaded and began to exploit the resources and Indigenous peoples of Peru and Bolivia. European colonizers would then take potatoes to Europe, and by the late-1700s were being widely cultivated in Ireland.

Potatoes continue to be an important crop in the diets of people across ethnicities and class lines due to them being a delicious, reliable, and inexpensive storage crop that offers an incredible source of energy.

COOKING & STORAGE

  • Edible parts: Tubers*

  • Nutrients: Potatoes are a great source of complex carbohydrates, fiber, potassium, vitamin C and B6.

  • Storing and Shelf Stability: The best place to store potatoes is in a cool, dry area of your kitchen, with good ventilation and out of direct sunlight. At warmer or more humid temperatures, they have a tendency to start sprouting or going bad; and when they’re too cold they develop sugars that can make their texture gummy when cooked.

  • Cooking with them: Potatoes can be baked, roasted, boiled, fried, grilled, and slow cooked; and can also be the basis for soups or salads.

RECIPES

*Note: Although potatoes are commonly called root vegetables, they are not true roots, but are tubers and their “roots” are the little eyes they have. Tubers are a swollen underground stem. Whatever you want to call them is fine though.

Authored and compiled by Maya Marie of Deep Routes and Ayllen Kocher

Parsnip

What’s Below:

About Parsnips

Cooking & Storage

Recipes

ABOUT PARSNIPS

Parsnip is a root vegetable that’s plant cousins with carrots, dill, and parsley. It has a texture that’s similar to turnips, slightly sweeter than a carrot, and sometimes has a hint of spice like a radish. These creamy colored roots have origins in the Mediterranean where they’ve been foraged for in the wild and cultivated for thousands of years, with the exact date being unknown. Although parsnip tops can be eaten, they have a small level of toxicity that mostly irritates the skin when touched, therefore they’re best eaten cooked and typically don’t come with their tops.

COOKING & STORAGE

  • Edible parts: Roots (and the leaves if handled properly)

  • Medicine and Nutrients: Parsnips offer a rich source of vitamins C and B6, as well as potassium, iron, magnesium, and fiber.

  • Storing and Shelf Stability: Parsnips will stay firm and fresh for about 2-3 weeks if kept in a cool, moist area of the fridge like the crisper or in plastic bag.

Ways to Prepare 

  • RAW: Parsnips can be eaten raw in salads tossed with your other favorite fruits and vegetables, they’re best when shredded thin or cut small.

  • COOKED: Parsnip roots are excellent roasted, sauteed, or stir-fried with other vegetables, and also are a great addition to your favorite soups and stews.

RECIPES

Authored and compiled by Maya Marie of Deep Routes.

Carrots

Carrots.jpg

What’s Below:

About Carrots

Cooking & Storage

Recipes

ABOUT CARROTs

Carrots have multiple points of origins that include the regions of Western Asia and Europe and North Africa where they’ve both grown in the wild and been cultivated between 3,000 - 5,000 years. Carrots are believed to have originally been white and purple, and over time were bred to be yellow and orange.

Today carrots can still be found in quite a rainbow of colors that provide varying levels of nutrition (see below) and vibrancy to your favorite dishes. Both their tops and bottoms are edible, and inspiration for how to use them can be found throughout Afghan, Iranian, Moroccan, and Indian cuisines just to name a few. 

Carrots are a root vegetable that peak in the fall. They have a sweet taste, which may get sweeter in the fall because the colder air and soil temperatures encourage the conversion of starches to sugars.

COOKING & STORAGE

  • Edible parts: Root and stems

  • Medicine and Nutrients: Carrot roots are packed with Vitamins A and K, and are a great source of potassium. Their leaves/tops are an incredible source of Vitamin C, fiber, and trace amounts of essential minerals.

  • Storing and Shelf Stability: Carrots can be stored in the refrigerator for up to a month! To do so, cut off the carrot greens and place the carrots in a container with a lid and cover completely in water. Keep the container in the refrigerator, changing the water every 4-5 days.

Ways to Prepare 

  • RAW: Carrots are delicious raw, especially when you get your hands on a sweet type of carrot. Shred them into a slaw or salad, or eat them sliced up into little batons to dip into your favorite spread. But if you wanna get real jazzy with it blend the tops in your favorite pesto in place of basil, and if pine nuts are too expensive just swap those out for any nut or seed that’s friendlier on your wallet. 

  • COOKED: Carrots can be sauteed, braised, steamed, baked, stir fried, in soups and stews, roasted, and grilled. 

RECIPES

Authored and compiled by Maya Marie of Deep Routes, Ayllen Kocher, and Amara Ullauri

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Radishes

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Radishes.jpg

What’s Below:

About Radishes

Cooking & Storage

Recipes

ABOUT radisheS

Radish are root vegetables that pack a little kick and have grown wild in China for at least 2,500 years and are also believed to have origins in Egypt where they’ve been cultivated for at least 5,000 years. From China their cultivation spread to Egypt, Greece, and Iraq where they’ve long been valued for their roots and leaves for food and medicine.

Radishes are one of the most popular crops at Rock Steady. We grow a variety of radishes including Crunchy King (small red), Watermelon (pink inside) and Daikon (white). Their taste can be described as crisp with a subtle spiciness. Radishes can be eaten raw, pickled, braised, grilled, roasted, and in salads. Soaking your radishes in water before eating will increase their crispiness! 

Red Radish (Photo Source: Jo lanta)

Daikon hugs (Photo Source: He Zhu)

Watermelon Radish (Photo Source: Michelle Blackwell)

COOKING & STORAGE

  • Edible parts: Roots and Leaves

  • Nutrients: Radish are packed with vitamin C.

  • Storing and Shelf Stability: To store them, a mason jar with cold water should keep them hydrated. Watermelon radishes store well for at least a month. Partially used roots will store for several days in a plastic bag or reusable container in the refrigerator.

Ways to Prepare 

  • RAW: Radish make for great punchy pickles or simply sliced up and eaten in a salad with their tops or other leafy greens.

  • COOKED: Radishes can be eaten braised, grilled, roasted, and in salads.

RECIPES

Authored and compiled by Maya Marie of Deep Routes, Ayllen Kocher, and Amara Ullauri

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Scallions/Green Onions

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What’s Below:

About Scallions

Cooking & Storage

Recipes

ABOUT Scallions

Scallions (or green onions) are flavorful plants from the Allium family alongside garlic and bulbing onions. They have origins across Central and South West Asia where they’ve been cultivated for over 5,000 years and valued for both their culinary and medicinal uses. Scallions have long been used in cuisines across the Asian diaspora in dishes like phở and cong you bing (scallion pancakes).

Scallions are in season from late spring through the fall. Scallions smell and taste like onions, but have a milder taste than pearl or red bulb onions. The white and green parts are both meant for cooking. The green tops are sweet and the white ends are on the crunchier side.

COOKING & STORAGE

  • Edible parts: Bulb and stems

  • Medicine and Nutrients: Chinese herbalists were one of the first to record the medicinal uses of scallions, and they can be ground up to make a poultice for cleaning wounds or eaten regularly to support a healthy urinary and immune system. They’re also a source of vitamin C, iron, and potassium.

  • Storing and Shelf Stability: You can store them in a plastic bag in the high humidity drawer of your fridge.

Ways to Prepare 

  • RAW: Chopped scallions can be used as flavorful garnish for salads, soups, meats, and sandwiches. 

  • COOKED: Scallions can be braised, roasted, sauteed, grilled, and stir fried.

RECIPES

Authored and compiled by Maya Marie of Deep Routes, Ayllen Kocher, and Amara Ullauri

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Beets

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Beets.jpg

What’s Below:

About Beets

Cooking & Storage

Recipes

ABOUT BEETS

Beets are a cool weather, root crop with origins in Greece, Egypt, and Iraq where they’ve been cultivated and cooked for at least 4,000 years. In its early years of cultivation, people mostly ate beets for the leaves and wouldn’t get into the roots until later. Beets are most popularly cooked in Eastern Asian and European cuisines, where they’ve traditionally been made into soups, roasted, or used as medicine for digestive issues. In Greek mythology, red beets were considered an aphrodisiac, and there was a rumor that Aphrodite ate beets to keep herself beautiful. 

Being a sturdy root vegetable, beets can handle lots of flavor infusion and after boiling or roasting them they pair well with fragrant herbs like dill and mint, punchy acidic foods like capers, balsamic or sherry vinegar, and fermented foods like goat cheese and sour cream zested with lemons.

COOKING & STORAGE

  • Edible parts: Roots and Leaves

  • Medicine and Nutrients: Beets are an incredible source of potassium, vitamin c and fiber, which support healthy digestion, skin, and blood regulation among many other benefits.

  • Storing and Shelf Stability: Cut off the tops before putting beets in storage. They draw moisture from the root and make the veggie soft and mushy faster. If you plan on using the greens, store them separately. Fresh beets last for about a month if you refrigerate them without the greens. Beet greens washed, dried and stored between paper towels and in a plastic bag or container should last about two weeks in the refrigerator.  

Ways to Prepare 

  • RAW: Raw beets can be juiced or added to smoothies, and can also be shredded to make a slaw. They can also be sliced thinly and eaten in a salad, or pickled with a vinegar or salt brine.

  • COOKED: Beets can be sauteed, roasted, or boiled.

RECIPES

Authored and compiled by Maya Marie of Deep Routes, Ayllen Kocher, and Amara Ullauri

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