Just as shopping at a farmers market is a proactive way of supporting the local food system, controlling food waste in your own home is a proactive step in maximizing resources, in other words you’re increasing the value of the farmers’ efforts besides stretching your food dollar. Think of produce parts we often discard: broccoli leaves, green onion tops, carrot tops, beet greens, cauliflower cores, broccoli stems, collard flowers and stems, radish leaves, etc. Today’s recipe uses nutritious, slightly peppery (think arugula) radish leaves, showing that making a concerted effort to use the entire plant will pay off nutritionally as well as economically. For more ideas along these lines, check out Vegetable Literacy by Deborah Madison. Here’s a peek into why she wrote this book and how it clarifies the botany behind produce.
Relish the radish . . . leaves and all
Include them in a salad with other greens
Whip them up in a green smoothie
Sliver, then mix them with butter and julienned radishes for a spread
Make a radish soup
Braise them with the radish roots, asparagus, and other spring vegetables