"twofer" vegetables

I do love my vegetables.  And although I do truly miss my vegetable garden, which I just didn't manage to get started this year, I am grateful that there are still farms and farmer's markets in my area which provide a wonderful assortment of good, fresh things to eat.

I am particularly fond of green leafy vegetables, have been for quite a while, and I am especially thrilled with vegetables where I get two vegetables in one plant.    Beets are a thrill as I love the beets themselves and I also love the greens.  When I have a garden I have been known to plant the rows of beets a little heavily so that I have more baby greens to thin out and eat before the beets themselves can grow.

Turnips and carrots fall into the same "twofer" category.  These are small japanese turnips which are wonderful raw in salads and are sweet when steamed.  I love the turnip greens even more than the turnips though, especially when sauteed with a little olive oil, garlic, chopped black olives and a bit of lemon.

Carrots are also a multiple use vegetable.  Of course we all eat the carrots.  But did you know the greens are edible too?  My favorite farm stand doesn't remove the greens from the carrots even though they recognize that most people don't eat them, and I've been known to offer to take unwanted greens off fellow customer's hands when the farm stand won't.  I now carry a pocket knife with me when I go to the farmer's market.  In the winter my gourmet/farm market keeps a box on the floor where people may discard the greenery from the carrots, and they don't object if I gather up a bag full of greens.

Last night we roasted these carrots.  I simply peeled them and tossed them with a little olive oil, salt and pepper and tossed them in a 350 degree oven until the were soft, a little wrinkly and caramelized; they were sweet and good.  Later in the week I will make soup with the greens.