Stay in the pink with greens

Ok, after you quit rolling your eyes over the title of this post, let’s talk about greens. We all know about spinach greens and collard greens, but what about all those greens we grow that many of us never think about. Did you know that radish, red beet and turnip greens are all edible? They’re not only edible, they’re very nutritious and very tasty! Want to hear the best part? They grow great in NE Texas in the fall! I struggle to get some things to grow in my garden, but I have never planted a batch of radishes that disappointed me. They go from seed to harvest in only a few weeks and can be a nutritious part of a meal. I have eaten radishes as long as I can remember, but it wasn’t until a couple of weeks ago that I realized you could eat the greens. The more reading I did on the subject, the more I came to realize that not only can you eat the greens, but they are actually healthier for you than the already healthy root. ‘Ok, good for me’, I thought, ‘so how about the turnips I planted this year? Their tops are beautiful. Can I eat those too’? Absolutely! Radish and turnip greens have an abundant supply of calcium, and vitamins A and C. They also contain fiber, iron, and magnesium. Like most vegetables, they’re healthy to eat. I read one account that said the greens are up to six times more nutritious than the actual root. That’s saying something, because the roots are pretty good!

I washed the radish roots up, diced them, and added them to my salad. They had a subtle peppery taste that the kids and I enjoyed. (My husband won’t touch a leafy green of any kind with a ten foot pole, so he didn’t get to join in our taste test). It seems that many people who enjoy the greens from the root vegetables cook them like you would spinach. They sauté them in butter or a little bit of oil. I have never eaten cooked spinach (more eye rolling, anyone?) but love it raw, so I can’t compare the taste for you. I may have mentioned in an earlier post the delight we took in eating the red beet greens. Once again, we washed them up and added them raw to our salad.

So, just what do all these vitamins and other nutrients mean as far as your health goes? I love this quote I found online: A Chinese proverb says, "Eating pungent radish and drinking hot tea, let the starved doctors beg on their knees". I want to give credit to the web site, so follow this link to a very good overall nutrition page:  http://www.nutrition-and-you.com/radish.html    Aside from the old Chinese proverb, it seems that beets, radishes and turnips – both the root and the greens - are good anti-toxins and cleansers. They can aid in digestion and aid the liver, kidney and urinary tract. Some researchers believe they have anti-carcinogenic properties, and they can help you lose weight. There are many other purported health benefits. Just do a little research and see what you can find.

Enough of my prattling on.  Eat your greens and stay in the pink!