Vegetable Tops

2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38

Growing various vegetables on summer cottages, we rarely use both tops and plant roots for food. More often root vegetables of vegetables are used, sitting, like carrots, "in a dungeon", and "scythes" released by them into the white light, at best, are sent to a compost heap. Although meticulous scientists have found that the tops of many vegetable crops are much richer in substances valuable to the human body than their underground fruits. Interestingly, in ancient times, carrots, for example, were grown not for the sake of a yellow-orange root, but to obtain fragrant greens and seeds

Valuable and tasty product

Since ancient times, in Russian cuisine, vegetable tops were used not only for fodder for livestock, but also actively used for cooking cabbage soup, borscht and soups; side dishes for meat and fish dishes; all kinds of salads.

A number of vitamins, macro and microelements, among which there is iodine, which is not often found in vegetables, as well as fluorine, zinc, iron, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, magnesium and many others, are thrown into the landfill along with the tops, while they could successfully serve the human body by supporting its immunity and normal metabolism.

The tops of all vegetables are rich in useful substances, including beets, carrots, turnips, radishes, radishes, Jerusalem artichoke, potatoes, without which no vegetable garden can do. The tops of vegetables grown less often are also useful: rutabagas, cauliflower, chicory, parsnips. And, for example, a subspecies of beets with the beautiful name "Mangold" is grown not for the sake of sugar-rich rhizomes, but for the sake of edible stems and leaves. It is they that contain iron, potassium, magnesium, sodium, as well as vitamins A, E and a large amount of vitamin K, without which the kidneys will not function properly, and the connective tissues and bones of a person will not be able to fully absorb the calcium they need.

Using the tops

For the preparation of salads, young greens of vegetable crops are used.

Thinning the densely sown carrots, thoroughly rinse the young foliage and boldly add it to the green spring salad. The essential oils of carrot leaves will give the salad a peculiar taste and aroma, and the rich content of vitamin C and phytoncides will help the body to strengthen its strength after winter. You can store part of the leaves for future use by chopping them with a knife or a meat grinder and adding butter at the rate of 1 part of greens and two parts of butter. This seasoning will be an excellent addition to soups and main courses.

Modern children are almost not familiar with the taste of such a vegetable as turnip, which they know from a fairy tale from infancy. What can we say about its tops, rich in vitamin C and many other useful substances. Garnish of chopped juicy and tender spring turnip leaves is perfect with meat or fish cutlets.

Young leaves of early radish simply ask for a dish made from potatoes, beets and carrots. And its more bitter relative, radish, contains lysozyme, a bactericidal substance, in its leaves. Therefore, to the traditional in Russia dish - radish with honey, you can also add its leaves, having previously chopped them finely.

Russian botvinya

In the summer heat, I want refreshing food, and therefore we cook okroshka from greens and kvass. But in Russia, a different dish has long been prepared, which is lighter in taste and much more effective at refreshing the body. Have you already remembered the name of such a dish? Right! This is botvinya.

And the dish is called so because it is prepared from the tops of vegetables and herbs, seasoned with sour kvass.

Any edible herb is used: nettle, green onions, spinach, sorrel, beet tops … The collected tops of herbs, vegetable tops are boiled, rubbed through a sieve and poured with sour kvass. If you also add cold country sour cream from the cellar, then you won't be pulled by the ears from the botvinia.

Although, the traditional botvinia was eaten not with sour cream, but with sturgeon fish, which could be in any form: fresh, boiled, salted. To keep the botvinya cold, a bowl with pieces of ice, the so-called crimson, was placed on the edge of the table for those wishing to add ice to the botvinya.

Beet tops

Beet tops, rich in vitamins, iodine, pectins, fiber, are good not only for botvinia. Its tender and juicy leaves and stems, finely chopped, can serve as a side dish for meat and fish dishes.

They also make stews from them. It is an easy and quick to prepare vitamin dish. Leaves cut into strips and finely chopped stems are boiled in water for just one minute, immediately serving the dish to the table.

Large beetroot leaves are perfect for making stuffed cabbage rolls.