Category: What the veg?

Information about common items in the vegetable shares

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What the veg?

Swiss Chard

There are two varieties of Swiss Chard, red or green. The wide leaves taste much like spinach, but the edible stems taste more like celery.

Cooking Tips
The stems need a little more cooking time than the leaves, so slice them off where the stems meet the leaves and add them a bit sooner.

Nutrition
1 cup has 35 calories, 4 grams of fiber and 3 grams of protein.
Swiss chard is an excellent source of vitamin K, vitamin A, vitamin C, magnesium, manganese, potassium, iron, vitamin E and dietary fiber.

AKA
Acelyas

Storage
To store, place unwashed chard in the refrigerator in a plastic bag. It will keep fresh for several days. If you have large batches of chard, you can blanch the leaves and then freeze them.

Equivalents
1 lb = 1.5 cups cooked stems + 1 cup cooked leaves
1 lb = 4 cups raw stems + 5-6 cups raw leaves

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What the veg?

Red Norland Potatoes

Storage
Store in a cool, humid (but not wet) location. Store in burlap, brown paper, or perforated plastic bags away from light, in the coolest, non-refrigerated, and well-ventilated part of the house. Don’t store onions and potatoes together.

Cooking tips
Red Norland Potatoes are a red-skinned, white flesh variety of potato. They are perfect for potato salads or just boiled and tossed with olive oil and salt and pepper.

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What the veg?

Corn


General Facts
Corn was planted in NY state as early as 500 AD. There are hundreds of varieties of corn and they all orginated from Native American Indians who first starting cultivating corn 6000 years ago in Mexico.
Iowa is now the heart of the Corn Belt, with over half of their cultivated land producing corn. Corn is the largest crop in the US, as well as the most largely distributed crop in the world.

Nutrion
1 cup of corn has a whopping 606 calories! It also has 8 grams of fat, which is equivalent to a chicken drumstick or a cup of pinto beans. On a positive note, it has 16 grams of protein and 12 grams of fiber. Corn is also a decent source of B6 and Iron.

Preparation Tips
Cutting kernels: An average ear of corn weighs from 10 to 14 ounces and yields about 1 cup of kernels. To remove them, with a large, sharp knife, cut off and discard the stem end of each ear down to the beginning of the kernels. Pull off and discard the husks and silks; rinse ears. Holding each ear upright, shear off the kernels close to the cob.

Storage
Corn should be cooked and eaten soon after picking for the best taste. As fresh corn ages it loses its sweet taste, its nutrients, and it becomes starchy and tough. After buying, wrap unhusked ears in a plastic bag and refrigerate until preparation time. Do not remove husks before storing fresh corn as the husks help retain freshness.

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What the veg?

Cippolini Onions


Nutrional Facts
A 5 ounce serving has 60 calories.  Onions contain vitamin A, vitamin B-complex, calcium, magnesium, potassium and a surprising amount of vitamin C. They also provide 2.8 grams of fiber, twice as much as a one-half cup serving of kidney beans and only half the calories.

General Facts
Cipolini onions look like they are flattened onions and encased in a yellow thin papery skin.  They have  firm flesh that offers a sharp and deliciously unique flavor.  Native to Italy, cipoline or cipollini onions are botanically the bulbs of a flowering plant. They are also known as the Italian spring onion.

Storage
To store, keep cool and dry. 

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What the veg?

Cherry Tomatoes


General
Tomatoes are a fruit rather than a vegetable. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Americans eat more than 22 pounds of tomatoes every year. More than half this amount is eaten in the form of ketchup and tomato sauce.

Nutrition
1 cup of cherry tomatoes is about 27 calories. It has 4 grams of sugar, 2 grams of fiber and 1 gram of protein. It is a good source of vitamin C, A, and K. Tomatoes have of late been cited as an excellent source of antioxidants because of there high lycopene content. Lycopene has been proven to prevent and fight certain types of cancer.

Storage
NEVER REFRIGERATE FRESH TOMATOES! Cold temperatures make the flesh of a tomato pulpy and destroys the flavor. Always store tomatoes at room temperature stem-end up.

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What the veg?

Tomatoes

Nutritional Value
1 cup of chopped tomatoes has 32 calories.  It has 2 grams each of protein and fiber.  It is freakishly high in Vitamin A and C with 30% and 32% of your reccomended daily intake.

General Facts
Tomatoes are members of the fruit family, but they are served and prepared as a vegetable.
Cancer Institute published a study that showed an association between consuming a diet rich in tomato-based foods and a decreased risk of prostate cancer.  Tomatoes contain large amounts of an antioxidant called lycopene, which may be responsible for this possible positive effect. Tomato paste and sauces contain a greater amount of lycopene, because they are more concentrated than fresh tomatoes.

Storage
Store tomatoes at room temperature until they have fully ripened. Try to store tomatoes out of direct sunlight, because sunlight will cause them to ripen unevenly. If you must store them for a longer period of time, place them in the refrigerator. Chopped tomatoes can be frozen for use in sauces or other cooked dishes.

Freezing tomatoes is one of the simplest ways to preserve them. Rinse them, then spread out on a cookie sheet, and freeze overnight. When frozen, put them in a freezer bag and return to the freezer. To use, remove from bag and thaw. When thawed, slip the skins off, and use in your favorite recipes.

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What the veg?

Summer Squash / Zucchini


Nutritional Facts:
1 cup of raw squash has 20 calories.  It has 1 gram of Fiber and 2 of protein.  It offers 34% of the reccomended daily intake of vitamin C and is a good source of b6 and K as well.  It is also considered a good source for riboflavin and folates as well.

General Facts:
There are several types of summer squash, but zucchini is the most popular.  Squash belong to the plant family that includes melons and cucumbers. The skin and rind of summer squash are rich in the nutrient beta-carotene, but the fleshy portion of this vegetable is not. To gain the full nutritional benefits of this vegetable, the skins or rinds must be eaten.

Storage:
Store in plastic bags in the refrigerator. Fresh summer squash should keep for up to a week. Thicker-shinned varieties such as chayote will stay fresh for two weeks or longer.

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What the veg?

Scallions

Nutrional Value
1 cup of raw chopped scallion has 32 calories.  It has 3 grams of fiber and 2 of protein.  It is an excellent source of vitamins C, offering 31% of the daily reccomended amount in 1 cup.  It is also a good source of vitamin A and K plus folate and a host of minerals.

General Facts
Scallions are onions that are pulled before a large bulb has formed. They are also called Spring Onions and are in season in Spring as one would imagine!

Storage
Wrap the whole trimmed scallions in a paper towel, and put them in a zip-top bag in the refrigerator. They will keep for up to a week before wilting.

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What the veg?

Broccoli

Nutrition:
Broccoli also contains the carotenoid, lutein. Broccoli is an excellent source of the vitamins K, C, and A, as well as folate and fiber. Broccoli is a very good source of phosphorus, potassium, magnesium and the vitamins B6 and E.

Storage:
Broccoli is very perishable and should be stored, unwashed in an open plastic bag in the refrigerator crisper where it will keep for a week. Broccoli that has been blanched and then frozen can stay up to a year. Leftover cooked broccoli should be placed in tightly covered container and stored in the refrigerator where it will keep for a few days.

AKA:
Calabrese, Italian green

Origin:
The history of this vegetable only dates back to the 1920’s in the U.S. and its cultivation originated in Italy.

Cooking tips:
Broccoli is a very versatile vegetable that can be steamed, pureed, stir fried or simply eaten raw.
When cooking broccoli, however, the stems and florets should be prepared differently. Since the fibrous stems take longer to cook, they can be prepared separately for a few minutes before adding the florets. For quicker cooking, make lengthwise slits in the stems. While people do not generally eat the leaves, they are perfectly edible and contain concentrated amounts of nutrients.

Sprinkle lemon juice and sesame seeds over lightly steamed broccoli.

Toss pasta with olive oil, pine nuts and healthy sautéed broccoli florets. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Purée cooked broccoli and cauliflower, then combine with seasonings of your choice to make a simple, yet delicious, soup.

Add broccoli florets and chopped stalks to omelets.


Substitutions:
Broccoli raab (bitter) OR Broccoflower OR cauliflower

Equivalents:
1 lb = 2 cups florets = 1 bunch = 3 cups cooked, chopped = 10 oz frozen = 1.5 cups raw, chopped

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What the veg?

Boston Lettuce



General Facts
Modern lettuce had its start as a Mediterranean weed. As early as 55 B.C., lettuce was served on the tables of Persian kings and praised for its medicinal values. The name comes from Latin words referring to its milky juice.

Nutrition
1 cup of shredded boston lettuce has only 7 calories, and 1 gram each of fiber, protein, and sugar. While it is low on calories it has 36% of our reccomended allowance of Vitamin A! It also has lots of Vitamin K and folate.

AKA
Butter lettuce

Storage
Lettuce will perish quickly if not stored properly. Boston lettuce can be stored (unwashed) for 3 to 5 days in a perforated plastic bag (wrap in damp paper towels if you want to be fancy), inside your refrigerator.
A little trick? Do not place your lettuce near fruits that release ethylene such as apples, pears or bananas to avoid premature ripening. Wash your lettuce in cold water and just before preparing it. Dry it immediately before leaves soften.

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