In My Garden: Root Vegetables
This past fall I planted scallions, beets, carrots, garlic and potatoes. Several types of root vegetables amongst my other plants. I planted them in the fall to overwinter for the following spring and summer. We have such a mild climate here in San Diego and overwintering gives us a jump on these slow growing vegetables. Everything I grow in my garden is from seed except the potatoes and garlic.
For the potatoes I bought German butter potatoes, they have a creamy buttery flavor. The garlic is Inchelium Red with a distinctive garlic flavor. I buy full bulbs of organic garlic and break the bulbs into cloves. Each clove planted will eventually form a full bulb.
Both the potatoes and the garlic are better than anything you will find in the market. It will be a couple more months before I harvest them.
I have already been picking beets. If you pick your beets and plan to store them in the refridgerator for a few days, make sure to cut off the beet stalks and leaves and put them aside. If left on the beets the stalks will continue to pull the liquid from the beets and will dry them out. The stalks and leaves are delicious and healthy chopped and tossed in your salad or added to a stirfry as you would spinach.
To roast beets, cut off the stalks and leaves, peel the skins, cut the beets into bite-size pieces (1” or less), toss the pieces in a bowl with a little olive oil, salt, and pepper, wrap all of them together in foil and place on a sheet pan or an oven-safe dish, and roast them at 400 degrees for about 40 minutes. Very easy to cook and one of the most delicious tasting vegetables in my opinion.
Scallions have a stronger, peppery flavor and are crisper than ones you find in the markets. They add a tangy taste to anything you use them in. We like to toss them in our salads or top off our favorite Asian recipes.
Last but not least are garden carrots, bright orange and full of flavor complared to store bought. Carrots need a deep loamy soil, very loose with no stones, sticks, or dirt clots. A carrot grows a long fine root first, then it fills in the carrot as it develops. Anything that interferes with that fine root will stop or twist the carrot’s growth. Not to worry, they might turn out to be ugly carrots (see Carrot Man below) but they will taste just as sweet.
Pictured below:
Row 1: Beets, beets with tops cut off, potato plants
Row 2: Carrots
Row 3: Garlic
