Cooking

Raw, boiled, baked or roasted?

It’s all in the peel. Yes I’m talking about a concentration of nutrients, so for the sake of your health don’t bin the skin of your next salad ingredient.

Take a look at Bob Otway’s 100 kilogram monster pumpkin! For the last 30 years he’s been growing vegetables “just for fun”.

So, does the skin of this pumpkin look appetising? Roasting is your answer in a situation like this and what better time to try it out than in the middle of winter. Make sure you rinse the outside of the produce for at least 30 seconds under running water while giving it a good scrub. Pumpkin peel helps to protect against liver damage.

Beetroot is also in season; wrap in foil (skin and all) and cook in the oven. Beetroot skin contains the highest concentration of the vegetable’s antioxidants. For even more nutrition, don't neglect the beetroot's green leaves, which contain betacarotene, calcium and iron. Remove the greens from beetroot and store separately in the fridge for up to a week.

Why not also add celeriac, kohlrabi and carrot in your roast salad, which are all popping up in the garden right now. The skin of carrot contains the 10 times the amount of falcarindiol; found to have a protective effect against cancer. And here’s another tip; never peel a carrot before juicing it.

So if you didn’t eat your peel before reading this, hopefully you will now.

How do you like to eat your peel? Raw, boiled, baked or roasted?

Enjoy your salads! Louise.

Join Louise on a journey through the seasons with salad ingredients, old traditions and popular, exotic or unusual vegetables. From Paddock to Plate founder, author, food writer, radio journalist & yoga teacher.