Eat the Whole Plant
Keep those nutrients for your body instead of feeding them to the landfill.
This garbage awareness tip is a double win! We can limit the amount of trash we set on the curb while also getting the most out of our fruits and veggies if we use the whole plant.
Did you know that beet greens are more nutritious than the root–containing more minerals, vitamins, and fiber? Wow! Before learning this, we were either throwing them in the trash or into our compost bucket. What a mistake!
The beet greens discovery made us question all the veggie greens and ends we were tossing. Could we eat them? Um…yes! And a lot of times they are as nutritious or more than the fruit or veggie itself. (We did find that rhubarb leaves are poisonous, so research before consuming anything new.)
Looking for where to start? Here are our favorite ways to eat the whole plant:
Beet greens: Add to a breakfast skillet with other veggies or use as a salad base.
Carrot tops: Can be used just like an herb. Top a pizza or omelette with it.
Radish greens: Combine with spinach to make a salad.
Wild grape vines: Stuff and roll them with rice, meat, and spices.
Broccoli stems: Spiralize and fry in a pan with olive oil as noodles or add small chunks to Instant Pot with rice. (The broccoli will soften and create a creamy consistency.)
Celery leaves: Use them like herbs and add to a soup.
Other great ideas for eating the entire vegetable.
Pro Tip: What you don’t eat, throw into your compost or freeze to make a veggie stock when you’ve collected a bunch. (We use this veggie stock instead of water when making rice or as a soup base.)
