Bitter plays an important role in our digestion, do you get enough? Here is our easy homestead way to make sure we get enough bitter elements in our food during winter time.
For the most part we do not outwardly add a bitter element to our meals here in the U.S.
While other countries and cuisines often do. And yet we consume bitter elements in our eating and drinking habits, possibly without knowing. Coffee in your cup? A bitter element. Dark chocolate as a snack or dessert? Yes, a bitter element. Cranberries in a sauce? Again a bitter element. Along with many other vegetables, herbs and fruit peels such as orange peel, which is widely praised for it's intense orange flavor. Another bitter vegetable that is often overlooked is the radish. Yes the red globe radish with the lovely green tops, that are usually sent to the compost bin or if you have them, your backyard hens.
Adding a bit of bitter to our meals is good for the gut.
Primarily because bitter helps with digestion. Proper digestion is the cornerstone of good health. If we do not digest our food, we will not be fed all nutrition it offers. And from there poor nutrition leads to lowered immunity, among other possible outcomes. In our household we tend to eat and drink some bitter foods each day, such as coffee in the morning, possibly green tea in the afternoon. In our meals, turnip greens are a favorite, fresh from the garden. Kale in soups or in a salad. Brussels Sprouts, cranberries, grapefruit and artichokes also make regular appearances on our table. Along with other leafy greens nd yes, radishes.
I have a simple and very inexpensive way to preserve a bitter element for winter eating.
Radishes. Radish are easy to grow, and the roots are delicious roasted, as are the green tops. You can serve the roasted radishes as a side dish or you can roast them up and freeze them for a last minute stir in, when you make a beef stew. As for the greens you can use them fresh to make Radish Top Pesto or roast them as well. Once the greens are roasted I chop them up and tray freeze. Then they are bagged up for long term storage. To use the radishes, toss a few into your stew at the last minute before serving and they will thaw almost instantly. To use the chopped green, stir in a spoonful when making spaghetti sauce. Or add a spoonful when baking cornbread, or biscuits. And when making dumplings for soup or Chicken and Dumplings.
You food will not be bitter. But it will contain a bitter element.
Which is exactly what you are after for good nutrition and proper digestion. Some of the recipes where I stir a spoonful of the roasted green tops are this cornbread recipe, and this supper bread! Other easy places to stir in a spoonful are soups, and this easy slow cooker scalloped potatoes and ham dinner. I offer these ideas to show that you don't need new recipes, just stir a spoonful into the recipes you already enjoy. Come along and see how easy it is to preserve your radish crop.
When I planted radishes this year, I planted them at the end of summer. And I planted them to be harvested all at once, to be processed for freezer storage.
For the Radish Roots.
Rinse off excess dirt before moving inside to work at your kitchen sink.
Remove the green tops and set aside. Trim the tap root and wash the red roots well.
For the greens:
Wash the green tops in plenty of water to remove any grit clinging to the leaves. Drain well, rolling in cotton toweling if needed to absorb the droplets of water from the leaves. I processed the greens in two batches.
I used half of the bowl of washed greens for each batch. Fill the largest deep sided roasting pan you have with washed radish tops. Drizzle with oil, we used avocado oil. Roast at 350 degrees for 30 minutes, turning over and tossing the greens half way through.
Remove the roasted greens from the pan, set aside to cool. Using the same roasting pan, process the remaining greens. When all the greens have been roasted and cooled to the touch, you may chop them with a sharp knife.
Cover a large baking sheet with wax paper, then the chopped greens. Freeze until frozen and transfer the frozen chopped greens to a large container with a tight fitting lid or a freezer bag. Label and store in the freezer. Use as desired when cooking and baking.
I do not use greens in everything we cook and bake, but I do keep track of other bitter element foods we have consumed, and as needed add these greens to our meals.
#wholefoodingredients
#scratchmadefoodforyourfamily
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