Vegetable tops

Vegetable tops: what are they?

Greens are simply leaves or stems of plants — part of vegetables often thrown away in the bin or on the compost.

Yet, taste of these greens is absolutely delicious and does not justify throwing them away. For example, beetroot leaves are just as tasty as those of spinach.

Beetroot greens

Moreover, vegetable leaves are very low in calories yet very rich in vitamins and antioxidants. Carotin, vitamin C, folic acid, calcium, etc. are present in significant quantities.

Caution, however, not all vegetable greens are edible, so it is important to know which can be cooked.

Which vegetable tops are edible?

Some greens are edible, others should be discarded without being eaten.

Edible greens

• Very tasty, carrot greens, radish greens and celery greens can be eaten chopped and raw in a salad, or cooked in a stir-fry, soup or broth.
• Leaves of young beetroot are excellent when prepared like spinach. They can be eaten raw or cooked in many different dishes.
• Leek green is often wrongly discarded in favour of its white part. Although less tender, leek green is perfectly delicious provided it is cooked a little longer. It can thus be a useful addition to soups and broths.
• Absolutely every part of broccoli can be eaten. Broccoli leaves and stem can be sliced into thin strips and added to stir-fries, used in a béchamel sauce, or included in a vegetable soup.

Broccoli greens

Beware of pesticides! Use only greens from organic farming. Greens from conventionally grown vegetables are particularly exposed to pesticide spraying.

Non-edible greens

By contrast, leaves of solanaceous plants must not be eaten because they contain solanine (a toxic substance) which they contain. Therefore, always put tomato, potato, aubergine and pepper leaves in the compost! Be aware that solanine poisoning causes diarrhoea, headaches, sweating and vomiting.

Solenne’s tip: sprouts, sprouted or greened tubercles, and unripe fruits should also be avoided, as they too contain solanine.

Rhubarb leaves, meanwhile, are not edible because of their high oxalic acid content.

How to cook vegetable tops?

Vegetable greens lend themselves to many culinary uses. Here are three possible uses :

1. Carrot tops as a condiment :
   • Harvest carrot tops and air-dry them.
   • Once dry, grind into powder and store in an airtight container.
   • Use to season pasta dishes and salads.

2. Radish greens pesto :
   • Remove greens from a bunch of radishes.
   • Wash and roughly chop.
   • Blend greens with two thinly sliced garlic pods.
   • Add about six tablespoons of olive oil to the mixture.
   • Stir in 80 grams of Parmesan.

3. Vegetable greens in desserts : beetroot stems can be candied, then enjoyed in plain yoghurt or on a slice of fresh cheese. Keep, however, young beetroot leaves for savoury preparations.
   • Wash and cut beetroot stems into pieces.
   • In a saucepan, cover with water.
   • Add three tablespoons of honey and thyme.
   • Cook over low heat until all water has evaporated.