organic dandelion greens

kohlrabi

Sometimes we can get into a rut of buying and eating the same vegetables, in our house the fridge will likely consist of carrots, kale, broccoli, bell peppers, and green peas. Now that it’s warming up, local produce and farmer’s markets are popping up which means fresh vegetables and a great time to try new varieties. This week I decided to try two things I’ve never cooked with; organic dandelion greens and kohlrabi. It caused quite the stir at the cash out when the dandelion greens wouldn’t scan and none of the workers could find the code for it in their system…we held up the line for about 10 minutes, obviously dandelion greens are a rare purchase here! I had to explain to pie pie what the hold up was all about (“why she can’t just can it mom?”), and luckily the kohlrabi had a barcode around it. Trying something new is fun and you might end up adding it to your grocery list from now on! I can say that about the kohlrabi – what a versatile vegetable, you can eat the entire thing! The greens at the top are robust and leafy, and the bulbs are firm and radish/turnip like. Kohrabi is like two different veggies in one! Definitely a                                                                                                    great buy.

pie pie … not a fan of the dandelion

I can’t say the same about the dandelion greens…I sautéed them with olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper…and they were pretty bitter and a little tough especially near the bottoms. We had it as a side to our slow cooker moroccan chicken, and both my husband and I had to eat the dandelion greens mixed into the stew to lessen the bitter taste. I gave pie pie a little pile on her plate and after one bite she told me “that tsai tsai not good mom” (tsai tsai = vegetable in mandarin). I guess it was a little bit weird that I paid for weeds when we just spent all weekend digging them out…hahaha…I really couldn’t blame her or expect her to eat any more of it, but I was happy she gave it a try:)

garlic sautéed dandelion greens, for a bitter bite!

Next time you grocery shop…try buying a vegetable you have never bought before! It’s fun to experiment, even if it doesn’t work out. By trying something new yourself, you set an example for your kids! Food is fun:)