I read the other day that President Obama doesn't like beets. My favorite! I wonder if he has tried Chiogga beets. These are sweet and tender. My dad doesn't like beets either. Even Chiogga's. He ate nothing but beets and tulip bulbs for a few years during the war in Holland and I suppose that would do it for anyone.
I always say I like all vegetables. But then I remember there are a couple I don't like. One is Brussels sprouts (which my Dad loves). The other is turnips (or rutabaga). I've even tried fresh mild local Hakurei turnips sauteed to perfection, but they're still bitter to me. I've never tried kohlrabi and I suspect that's another one I wouldn't like.
Still my dislike list is shorter than my teenage son's. Its a lot easier to list his likes (in order, favorites first: broccoli, broccolini, carrots, corn, beans and peas). Six! I try constantly to expand this list. But its easier to just plant lots of broccoli, carrots, beans and peas.
what is some good fertilize that i can use on corn,tomatoes,peppers,okra,Swiss chard,watermelon,onions and etc...
ReplyDeleteI think I like all veggies, but some more than others. I love the lettuce I grow. I had to smile about the beets. Once in awhile I am in the mood for some canned beets. I had some the other day with my lunch, while I was giving other things to our 14 month old grandson. When he saw my beets, he pointed and said, "Dat". I gave him a tiny piece, and he got a big grin, experiencing beets for the first time. He wanted more!
ReplyDeleteIf you have a farmer's market, get yourself a kohlrabi, cut the skin off, then cut it into sticks or chunks, and eat it raw. You may like it with a little dip, too.
Kohlrabi is slightly sweet and crisp, delicious eaten raw. It really reminds me of water chestnuts, but with more flavor. The only way I can eat turnips is to dice them and boil them with an equal amount of diced carrot, drain, add salt, pepper and a good amount of butter, then lightly mash so they have the consistency of lumpy mashed potatoes. Although I did eat them diced up in a stew recently, and I couldn't tell they were turnips....they were very mild. I'm with you on Brussels sprouts.
ReplyDeleteMy wife is a vegetarian and I'm always surprised by how veggies she doesn't like: radish, okrha, collards and some others I can't remember. For me.....I don't really like asparagus. But.....I wish I did. Maybe someday.
ReplyDeleteAs for kohlrabi.....it taste like a sweet cabbage, maybe? IDK, but it's pretty tasty. You should try it!
http://theconservativegardener.blogspot.com/
I love brussels sprouts but they have to be cooked properly or they are horrid. Pretty difficult to grow too as I found out last year. I like rutabaga too but just the big ones with the yellow flesh and purple top. I boil it and then mash it with butter and brown sugar, it is really good that way. I am trying kohlrabi for the first time this year, I have never eaten it so I'm not sure if I will like it. I do like how it grows a fast crop so I can infill empty spots with it. ps, I didn't send surprise kohlrabi.
ReplyDeleteI like all veggies; but there are many that I've never even tried. Like brussel sprouts, collards, kohlrabi, Swiss chard, fava beans, kale, and a few more, I'm sure. I can remember my Mom eating canned beats when I was young; I don't remember if I've ever tried them or not.
ReplyDeleteI didn't like beetroot until recently, my Mum always boiled them and plunged them into vinegar to have with salad, YUK! Funny how food memories stay with you, as per your Dad's war memories our Aunt Lucy went over with the second wave of British and Canadian liberators in WW2 to Normandy, she said that corned beef was their main protein and although it was good then when hungry she went off it pretty quickly after coming home.
ReplyDeleteI think I'm pretty adventurous when it comes to trying new things, and a year with the local CSA garden gave me the opportunity to try vegetables that I normally wouldn't have purchased. Okra (eh), kale & Swiss Chard (yum & yummier), radishes (yuck), and beets.
ReplyDeleteI don't know why I hadn't eaten beets before, but I am in love! I tend to keep a bowl of roasted veggies going, I make it for dinner, but always a lot for leftovers and then for snacks & lunches we do a mix in a quesadilla.
I haven't tried kohlrabi, but I will if I see it. It's interesting how our tastes are so different. And kids? I think they're taste buds are really sensitive when they're young. My little one will eat broccoli and all sorts of lettuces and mushrooms (raw only) but a brussel sprout? No way.
I had very weird tastes as a child. My favorite vegetable was spinach (with vinegar). I adored it. My second was brussels sprouts. I hated peas, lima beans, broccoli, cauliflower, green beans and beets. Kids hate so many vegetables :> Things have changed. I still like my old favorites, but they aren't my favorites anymore. Broccoli, asparagus, chard are certainly up there as favorites. I still hate lima beans, cauliflower and yes beets. Sometimes I can't even eat the ribs of my beloved chard because they taste too beety to me. As a gardener I find it amusing that one of my favorites and one of my most hated vegetables are really the same plant, Beta vulgaris.
ReplyDeleteMy 12-year-old will eat corn (only if it's on the cob), cucumber, carrots (raw only), and celery.
ReplyDeleteMy 9-year-old? NONE. He will however eat fruit but no vegetables; he won't even eat sauce on his spaghetti. Maybe I shouldn't feel bad about how much pizza he eats- at least there's tomato in the sauce?????
Dan - I so happy you didn't send surprise kohlrabi!!! Thanks for letting me know. I was concerned, even though I may well like it. Its just so... purple.
ReplyDeleteRutabaga (yellow with purple tops and waxed to preserve) and kolhrabi (green) are delicious eaten raw - as kids we grew up eating them that way. Just peel and slice, right from the garden.
ReplyDeleteTurnips (white with purple tops) - I like them roasted with carrots, potatoes, onions and a meat of some kind.
http://urbanext.illinois.edu/veggies/turnip1.html
I've easily grown both kohlrabi and turnip (I live in Toronto, zone 6 or 6a) - according to my mom and uncle, turnip is to be planted after the onions are harvested, around the Feast of St. Joseph (July 22). The greens are also susceptible to tiny black bugs, so my uncle would save some fireplace ash to sprinkle around them. I'd let the turnips go till it was cold, then harvest. My uncle would pickle the turnip, like sauerkraut.
I really enjoy your blog! I've been reading it for the past couple weeks after hearing about it through Seattle Tilth. I love to cook and love to garden and this year I'm expanding my garden to about 1,000 sf. I was elated to hear the Obamas are leading by example and putting in a garden. I think I should send this recipe: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Beet-Carpaccio-with-Goat-Cheese-and-Mint-Vinaigrette-107899 to encourage President Obama to try some beets. Even "beet haters" have liked beets this way. Since you like them, I thought you might enjoy this recipe too. Have you even tried quartering brussel sprouts and sauteing them in olive oil with some salt and pepper? They are one of my favorites this way and I never thought I liked them. I think it's because most of the time they are steamed and the get mushy and bitter.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, I continue to read along and enjoy your garden blog.
Thanks,
Brittney
I don't dig beets much. I am growing Brussels sprouts for the first time this year. they just look so funky and I hear they taste different fresh.
ReplyDeletekohlrabi is one that i hadn't gotten around to until recently. it is like a very good crisp broccoli stalk/stem, which i know some people don't like but is my favorite part of broccoli. I have only had it raw but it really seemed exactly like the broccoli stem so i'd imagine it would be tasty lightly steamed or sauteed as well, but not so much that it looses its crunch.
ReplyDeletei'm with you on turnips but wanted to mention that i too hated brussel sprouts until i tossed the with olive oil, fresh pepper and sea salt and roasted them in the oven. they are no longer bitter but nutty flavored and the outside leaves turn to brown and crunchy little sprout chips!
ReplyDeletei especially love artichokes (though i can't grow them here in western ma) and kale (which i can).