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I know that it must be late September. I start thinking about things
like oven-roasted rutabagas and beets, and carrots with brown sugar.
Puréed celeriac and potatoes with roasted garlic. Sweet potatoes with
honey and sweet cream butter. Turnips and turnip greens with hot
pepper sauce. Roasted parsnips with horseradish. And of course, the
ubiquitous king of the root vegetable kingdom—the potato in all of
its mashed, fried, boiled, sautéed and baked forms. I love the fact that
root vegetables are most commonly served in hot dishes and harvested
when the days and nights begin to get cooler.
So we know root vegetables can be used as an improvised catastrophe
prevention tool. But did you also know that they are a valuable
source of vitamins and minerals which are absorbed from the soil they
grow in They are typically planted in the summer and harvested in
the fall. When I was growing up, we kept our potatoes under the house
on a bed of straw covered with pickling lime. They always lasted well
into the winter months and as kids, retrieving the potatoes for dinner
was always an adventure or a nightmare, depending on how dark it was.
Most root vegetables are great hearty additions to cool weather dishes
like stews, soups and slow-braised meats, or simply roasted and served
as accompaniments to any meal.
Many root vegetables are also full of complex carbohydrates and
give you energy. They are low in calories and fat, and contain essential
minerals such as potassium, phosphorus, magnesium and iron. Root
vegetables can also improve your mental health with their high concentrates
of antioxidants which help to remove toxins from your body.
Carrots, sweet potatoes and turnips are high in Vitamin C and
beta-carotene, which help clean the blood and prevent high blood
pressure. Beta-carotene is also good for your eyes and can help in the
prevention of cataracts and certain cancers. Onions and garlic are
great for your heart. They can lower cholesterol and blood pressure by
preventing blood clots. They also help to build up your immune system
which can prevent common ailments like a cold or the flu. Since
they are high in fiber and nutrients, they can also help satisfy cravings
and aid your digestive system.
We all know about potatoes, carrots and onions, but the list of
beneficial root vegetables covers a much broader spectrum. The most
common types of root vegetables are taproots and tubers. Taproots
grow vertically downwards, forming a central root from which other
roots sprout. These roots are typically energy storehouses for the plant,
thus the elevated levels of nutrients. They include carrots, beets,
turnips, celery root (celeriac), rutabaga, parsnip and radish. Tubers
grow more horizontally and shoots will sprout from the top and roots
from the bottom. Tubers include potato, yam, Jerusalem artichoke and
daylily.
Enjoy your root vegetables with a new admiration for their many
characteristics, flavors and benefits. ■
Sources for this article are buzzle.com and care2.com.
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