Shall I take the tops off?
If you buy your vegetables at the market, at a farmer's stand, once you have chosen a bunch of carrots or beets for example, you must have already heard this proposal from the salesman: "Shall I pull the tops?
This sentence is his proposal to remove for you all the tops, which he puts aside, to give you only the vegetables with the idea to not overload your basket.
It's a good idea, but it would be a pity to accept it.
This sentence is his proposal to remove for you all the tops, which he puts aside, to give you only the vegetables with the idea to not overload your basket.
It's a good idea, but it would be a pity to accept it.
9,280 4.9/5 (15 reviews)
Keywords for this post:VegetablesWasteRecoveryAnti-gaspiSustainable developmentLeftoversLast modified on: May 7th 2022
Shall I take the tops off?
So yes, it's quite cumbersome, but in practice it can be eaten, it's good, even very good, and as I said it would be a shame to throw them away, even in the compost.
These leaves, that is to say the leaves that are on top of the vegetables, and therefore often what is out of the ground for the root vegetables (carrots, radishes, turnips, beets, etc.) are not always very appetizing, but their use is really anti-gaspi (sustainable development should be said) and allows to complete the use of the vegetables, or to make a separate dish.
For the use it is quite simple, you take your vegetables, you treat the tops as a salad: soaking in vinegar and water, washing, spinning, drying if necessary, and then you can use them in a lot of recipes.
Use the beets in your initial recipe, and keep the tops for another recipe such as fresh spinach soup where they will replace spinach very well.
You will notice that as much as vegetables can be preserved for a long time, easily several weeks for carrots, several days for beets, their tops are not at all: they wilt (no pun intended) in a few hours sometimes, and they must be fresh to be used. When you come back from the market, it is in your interest to prepare them (soaking etc.) as soon as possible, and within the day at the latest.
To sum up: If someone offers to take the tops off your vegetables at the market, it is better to decline politely, so that you can use them in very original recipes.
These leaves, that is to say the leaves that are on top of the vegetables, and therefore often what is out of the ground for the root vegetables (carrots, radishes, turnips, beets, etc.) are not always very appetizing, but their use is really anti-gaspi (sustainable development should be said) and allows to complete the use of the vegetables, or to make a separate dish.
For the use it is quite simple, you take your vegetables, you treat the tops as a salad: soaking in vinegar and water, washing, spinning, drying if necessary, and then you can use them in a lot of recipes.
Use the beets in your initial recipe, and keep the tops for another recipe such as fresh spinach soup where they will replace spinach very well.
You will notice that as much as vegetables can be preserved for a long time, easily several weeks for carrots, several days for beets, their tops are not at all: they wilt (no pun intended) in a few hours sometimes, and they must be fresh to be used. When you come back from the market, it is in your interest to prepare them (soaking etc.) as soon as possible, and within the day at the latest.
To sum up: If someone offers to take the tops off your vegetables at the market, it is better to decline politely, so that you can use them in very original recipes.
Lasts posts
Travel cakes
You may have come across the term "travel cakes" ("gateaux de voyage" in french) for certain pastries, so let's take a look at what they're all about.January 27th 2025814
The aromatic power of sugar
In the kitchen, sugar doesn't just sweeten, it also has an exceptional ability to capture flavors. Combined with aromatic ingredients, such as citrus zest, it acts as a veritable sponge for aromas. By taking the time to let the sugar soak up the flavors, you can transform your desserts, making...December 25th 20241,3905
The little trap of thick cream
When you need to add cream to a recipe, you might be wondering: thick (heavy) cream or liquid cream? In most cases, there's no big difference: you can use either. But there is one exception, and that's when the cream needs to be cooked, for a sauce for example, and here the difference between...December 13th 20242,4895
Sauce and salad: When and how to mix them?
When dressing a salad, there's a kind of golden rule: add the dressing very shortly before serving, especially if your salad contains crunchy elements such as croutons or fresh vegetables, which will retain their crunchiness or crispiness. But, as is often the case in the kitchen, there are...November 29th 20242,5345
No need to boil gelatin
Gelatin is a magical ingredient for making light, creamy, structured desserts, yet it's often misused in the kitchen. A common mistake in some recipes is the idea that it needs to be boiled for it to work properly, but this is a mistake indeed: gelatin melts at a much lower temperature, around...November 21th 20242,3605
Other pages you may also like
How to properly roll out a pie crust?
Very often in pastry making, you have to roll out a pastry before using it for a pie or another dessert. At home, of course, you get out your rolling pin and simply roll it out. Is there a way to get an evenly rolled out dough? That's what we will see in this article.May 10th 20236,1334.9
How easy is it to chop herbs?
Whenever you have fresh herbs - parsley, chervil, coriander, mint, etc. - to incorporate into a recipe, we tell you to chop them up. In this case, "chopping" means separating the leaves from the stems, keeping only the leaves, and chopping them more or less finely. It's not very complicated,...September 12th 20239,1205
Candied fruits: don't get ripped off
Do you like candied fruit? You might like to nibble a handful or add it to a recipe, like a classic fruit cake or delicious Italian specialities like panettone or sicilian epiphany pie.June 21th 201760 K 24.2
The taste of raw tomatoes
Let's take a look at tomatoes, which are still in full bloom at the end of summer (as I write these lines), and which make for delicious salads. I had already talked to you about the interest of peeling tomatoes, which gives them an extraordinary sweetness in the mouth, but let's talk about the...September 8th 201812 K4.9
Stand mixer tools
Whether we call it a stand mixer, food processor, or simply refer to it by brand (Kenwood, KitchenAid, etc.), this machine is a valuable tool for amateur cooks, bakers or pastry chefs like ourselves. All these machines come supplied with 3 different tools. Let’s take a look at their names and...November 2nd 201933 K4.5
Post a comment or question
Follow this page
If you are interested in this page, you can "follow" it, by entering your email address here. You will then receive a notification immediately each time the page is modified or a new comment is added. Please note that you will need to confirm this following.
Note: We'll never share your e-mail address with anyone else.
Alternatively: you can subscribe to the mailing list of cooling-ez.com , you will receive a e-mail for each new recipe published on the site.