How often do you go to the supermarket and pick up root vegetables with stalks and leaves still connected – only to discard the parts that you don’t use? These veggies commonly include the tops of carrots, beets, kohlrabi, turnips, radishes, fennel and celery. Unfortunately, most people discard or compost them when they prepare and consume the main vegetable. This is because they either don’t know what to do with the stalks and leaves – or do not realize that they are edible. We have long been guilty of this as well.

This is a tragic waste.

These materials are not only an incredible source of vitamins and minerals, but also very tasty as side dishes, soup stocks, ingredients in entrées and components of smoothies.

First, let’s talk about how to use the whole vegetable.

Use the Edible Stalks and Leaves of Root Vegetables

What are the most common root vegetable parts and their uses?

Carrot Tops

Carrot tops are often the first greens that are discarded when people return from the supermarket. Fortunately, those fluffy leaves can be boiled in soup stock, sautéed or made into pesto. Eat raw, they taste bitter, much like arugula, endive, dandelion greens and escarole. Some people even think carrot tops may be poisonous – but the toxic carrot top myth has been debunked. Carrot tops contain lots of nutrients, including six times more vitamin C than the root, plus tons of potassium, calcium and phytonutrients.

Beet Stalks and Leaves

Beet stalks and leaves can be big and bulky and take up a lot of space in the fridge. However, beet leaves are among the most versatile and nutritionally remarkable of all the leafy greens. Beets greens may be used as a spinach or chard substitute. (Interestingly, chard itself derives from an ancient form of wild beets!) They go well sautéed, tossed raw into a salad or smoothie or as an ingredient in a frittata. Nutritionally, raw beet greens are a very potent source of antioxidants as well as vitamins K and A; contain more iron and magnesium than spinach; and are loaded with fiber.

Kohlrabi Stalks and Leaves

Kohlrabi stalks and leaves are very similar to the leaves of beets, spinach and collard greens. They can be chiffonaded (sliced into long thin strips), steamed or sautéed, added to a frittata (like with beet leaves) or tossed into a smoothie. The key is to separate the kohlrabi bulbs and the leaves as quickly as possible, as the leaves wilt very quickly. Store the stalks and leaves for a few days in a plastic Ziploc bag in the fridge. Nutritionally, kohlrabi greens are abundant in vitamins A, K and the B-complex group, as well as carotenoids.

Turnip Greens

Turnips are often confused with parsnips. On occasion, my wife refers to these white vegetables as “turnsnips”! Turnip bulbs are a tasty addition to soups. But did you know that you can also use the leaves? As with all vegetables with bulbs, remove the stalks and leaves and store them separately in the fridge. Turnip leaves contribute flavor and texture to braised and sautéed dishes, as well as soups. Chop and cook like any other leafy green, using lemon juice or apple cider vinegar to break down the tough cell walls. However, eating them raw is not recommended, as they are tough and fibrous. Nutritionally, turnip greens are full of vitamins A and C.

Radish Leaves

Radish leaves are covered in fuzz and appear inedible. However, all varieties of radish greens are edible and quite tasty, with a number of culinary uses. And according to Ayurvedic medicine, the pungency of radish leaves also speeds up digestion. To prepare them, separate the leaves from the root as soon as possible. These greens can taste bitter. For a milder flavor, choose leaves from smaller radish varieties. For a sharper flavor, choose leaves from larger varieties. Radish greens can be sautéed, pickled, boiled in a soup, used for a pesto or added to a smoothie. Cooking the leaves removes the fuzz. Radish green nutrition consists of tons of vitamin C (6x more than the root!), as well as vitamin B6, magnesium, iron, calcium and vitamin A.

Fennel Stalks and Fronds

Fennel stalks and fronds have a fragrant aroma strongly reminiscent of licorice or anise. Sadly, most people just eat the bulbs. Fortunately, fennel stalks and fronds can be substituted for celery stalks in salads and soups; boiled for soup stock; used as a garnish on boiled eggs or on top of soups; or simply grilled or roasted on a skewer. They add a prominent licorice-like flavor to these dishes. Nutritionally, fennel is a very good source of dietary fiber, vitamin C, folate, potassium and manganese.

Celery Tops

Celery Tops are like carrot tops: the leafy tops appear to be a waste material that goes from the chopping block directly into the trash. Fear not, though: there are a multitude of uses for celery tops. Celery tops may be tossed into soups prior to serving, or used as a garnish for winter stews, as an herb in place of parsley, in smoothies and in salads.

Now let’s get to the fun party after the nutrition lesson.

Repurpose Stalks and Leaves into a Green Apple Smoothie

I recently wrote a post showing how to make a golden beet smoothie. I also suggested keeping the beet stalks and leaves for another recipe. With this in mind, I created another smoothie out of a desire to capitalize on the leftover vegetable materials in my refrigerator by incorporating the stalks and leaves.

This smoothie incorporates fennel stalks and beet leaves, in addition to an old banana that I stored in the freezer. (Old bananas taste great in smoothies. They also add texture. So save your old bananas, too: Once they turn soft, just peel and toss into the freezer in a freezer bag!)

Ingredients

• 1 cup water

• 1/3 cup Forager cashew yogurt

• 1 Fuji or Gala apple

• 1/2 medium-sized frozen banana

• 2 fennel stalks (with the bulb removed)

• 3 or 4 beet stalks with leaves (with the beetroot removed)

• 1/2 tsp Ceylon cinnamon

• Pinch of freshly ground nutmeg

• 1/2 tsp maple syrup

• 4-6 ice cubes

Instructions

1. Combine water, yogurt, apple, banana, fennel stalks and beet stalks into a high-speed blender container

2. Add cinnamon, nutmeg and maple syrup

3. Blend on high for 30-40 seconds, then add ice cubes and blend about 10-15 seconds more

4. Enjoy!

Culinary Opportunities for Eating the Entire Vegetable

As my family and I have learned from our food journeys, making consciously kosher decisions sometimes involves more than just buying the right foods. It also involves incurring minimal waste by preparing the entire vegetable.

I didn’t consider this concept until I started shopping at farmers markets. When I began, the farmers would ask me if I wanted carrot tops and beet leaves removed. Prior to that, I had rarely come into contact with those parts at supermarkets. I soon started asking what else could be done with these tops other than compost. This unlocked an entire world of culinary opportunities for us.

Reinventing Cultural Norms to Avoid Waste

In our culinary culture, we prize certain parts of vegetables for their flavor, nutrition and culinary uses while arbitrarily dismissing other parts as inedible. Perhaps this is simply a result of supermarkets prioritizing shelf space by removing the less popular parts, like stalks and leaves. Or maybe it has to do with the sensitive leaves wilting due to transportation, temperature, environment and time on shelf.

It does not have to be this way for two reasons: You are paying for the entire vegetable anyway. And there are so many nutritional and health benefits that you may as well utilize them.

Happy vegging!