Bunch Lines
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Asian Vegetables
Click here for detailed information on Asian Vegetables.
Beetroot
Food Facts
Beetroot has been used as a vegetable for the last 2000 years, even by early Greeks and Romans and is believed to be native of the Mediterranean region of Europe and probably Western Asia.
Storage & Handling
Cut beetroot leaves 50 mm above the root. They will keep for 4 - 5 days when refrigerated in the vegetable crisper.
Usage Tips
The usually deep-red roots of beetroot are eaten boiled either as a cooked vegetable, or cooked and served cold as a salad by adding oil and vinegar.
Silverbeet
Food Facts
Silverbeet is a close relative of both spinach and beetroot. Used for many centuries, it was mentioned in Roman writings dating back to the 3rd and 4th centuries BC. Even before this time it was a popular vegetable, thought to have originated in the Mediterranean.
Storage & Handling
Remove the string binding the bunch together and remove damaged leaves and cut back the white stalk and store in the refrigerator in an airtight plastic bag. Silverbeet should be consumed within a few days of purchase.
Usage Tips
Slice and use in stir-fries, quiches or filo parcels with feta cheese. Silverbeet can also be steamed or pureed and used in soups, as a side vegetable or shredded and added raw to salads.
Fennel
Food Facts
Every part of the fennel plant is edible - from the seed to the root and is a good source of fiber. Fennel is native to the Mediterranean region and is often found growing wild on the side of roads or on sea cliffs.
Storage & Handling
Store in a plastic bag in the crisper section of your refrigerator for up to a week.
Usage Tips
Use the fennel bulb very finely sliced in salads and put aside the feathery leaves for decoration. It is also delicious in sandwiches and as a salad base with vinaigrette dressing with crab meat or other seafood.
Herbs
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Rhubarb
Food Facts
Due to the acid taste and texture, Rhubarb is typically sweetened and enjoyed as a fruit. Only the stalks should be used because the high oxalic acid content of rhubarb leaves makes them toxic.
Storage & Handling
Store rhubarb in the vegetable crisper section of the refrigerator in a plastic bag. Consume or prepare within 3-5 days.
Usage Tips
Rhubarb is a natural partner for apples, strawberries and plums and combines well with cereal products like rice.
Shallots
Food Facts
The history of the shallot is similar to the onion because it is believed to have originated somewhere in China. Today, shallots are used widely by many cultures as a flavour enhancer and attractive garnish.
Storage & Handling
When stored in an airtight plastic bag with outer layers and roots intact, fresh shallots should keep for 5-7 days in the refrigerator crisper.
Usage Tips
To create an attractive garnish, slice shallot stalks lengthways and place in ice cold water for half an hour. Shallots are also excellent lightly boiled and tossed in a salad or with vinaigrette for use as a garnish.
Spinach
Food Facts
True spinach is often confused with its close relative, silverbeet. Spinach, however, has a smaller, flatter leaf and green veins, as opposed to the white veins of silverbeet.
Storage & Handling
Store spinach in an airtight plastic bag in the refrigerator and use as quickly as possible.
Usage Tips
Spinach chopped and cooked makes an excellent vegetable bed under poached fish or accompanying eggs. It can be added to soups or mixed with fetta and filo pastry.
Leek
Food Facts
Leeks have been cultivated in the Middle East for 3000 years and to this day, continue to grow wild there. They were considered a delicacy by the Greeks and Romans.
Storage & Handling
Fresh leek should be trimmed and placed in the crisper or a plastic bag in the fridge for up to a week.
Usage Tips
Related to onions, garlic and chives, leeks provide a delicious peppery dimension to soups, quiches, tarts, pies and stir-fries.
