The Veggie How to Guide:

Carrots

Carrots

Everything you never knew you needed to know about carrots 

Carrots, the original way to get your night vision goggles. It’s not quite as simple as the old adage goes, but there are some mighty sweet benefits to adding carrots to your daily regime.  

The carrot (Daucus carota) is a root vegetable often claimed to be the perfect health food. It is a good source of beta carotene, fibre, vitamin K1, potassium, and antioxidants while containing little to no fat. They have been linked to lower cholesterol levels and improved eye health (So no, your baby blues won’t be piercing the darkness, but if you’re suffering from low levels of Vitamin A you’ll likely see an improvement in your night vision) with reduced risk of cancer and age-related macular degeneration attributed. Carrots in their original forms were consumed for their medicinal properties by the Ancient Greeks and Romans. They even considered them to be an aphrodisiac. No idea what gave them that idea... All hail the humble carrot! 

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Cauliflower

Cauliflower

How To: Most of us find cauliflower fairly user friendly- it's not too exotic, we're accustomed to seeing and using it, and I imagine many of you have your go-to...
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Daikon Radish

Daikon Radish

How To: 
Diggin' up the dirt on daikon radishes. These plump, large, carrot-like white radishes translate to English as 'big root', and are one of several popular varieties grown and enjoyed predominantly in Asia. And they do indeed get big- I've seen some that could have easily doubled as a baseball bat! Both the leaves and roots can be eaten raw, pickled, roasted, stir fried or baked. Their flavour is mild, peppery and sweet; they're often mellower and juicer than their better-known small red radish counterparts. They are a great source of Vitamin C and of folate.
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Salad Turnips

Salad Turnips

How To:
Hakurei turnips, or better known here as salad turnips, are a Japanese variety that are sweet and mild. Also called baby turnips, they are a member of the Brassica family, with small, round white roots in the same shape as beetroot, topped by lovely edible greens. Unlike the larger varieties of turnip, which can taste quite spicy and usually necessitate cooking, the smaller salad turnip is mild and enjoyable raw or cooked- hence the name, as it is delicious raw in salads. 
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Yams

Yams

These shiny, nubbly tubers glistening in yellows or dark reds seem to have found a popular place in Aotearoa’s soil and plates. Given the somewhat misleading name here of New Zealand Yam, Oxalis Tuberosa hail from the Andes of South America where their true name of oca originates. They are often cooked alongside or in place of potato, being baked or mashed as a warm side dish to a roast. While they can certainly take the place of a potato in many dishes, that’s where their seeming similarities end. NZ yams can be eaten raw, and the entire plant is edible- tuber, shoots, and clover-like leaves
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How to: Celeriac

How to: Celeriac

 Celeriac
That thing you pull from your fresh veggie box, the one which has you thinking of the mandrakes from scenes in Harry Potter's herbology class? Bulbous and knobby, with squiggly roots? Yep, that one. That is a celeriac. Aromatic and quite versatile, this variety of celery grown intentionally for the root bulb are just a bit misunderstood. Let's fix that. Beneath its rough and sometimes hairy looking exterior lies a creamy white interior; it is mild and surprisingly delicious, whether raw (light and crisp, with hints of celery and parsley) or cooked (brings out the sweetness). 
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