Eating My Greens

Attempting a healthier diet, my husband and I are eating more fruits and vegetables. As for the latter, having devoured a serving of broccoli and hummus he will often say, “There. I got my greens in for today.”

Blueberries, as it turns out, also fit under that color category. My discovery followed inspection of a misshapen berry. Digging into its bulbous protrusion, I discovered jade flesh.

That didn’t seem right. I mean, come on, they’re blueberries, for crying out loud.

But rather than tossing that fruit, I broke into another. Well, they matched, both tasting sweet and fresh. So the indigo is only skin deep. Go figure.

Very tasty with Greek yogurt!

Broccoli, on the other hand, provided a different surprise. It’s the florets folks generally covet. Those can be purchased with trimmed stems, but of course we go for the cheaper bunches, which lead to my husband’s clever discovery.

On a whim one afternoon he shaved off a stalk’s dry outer surface and took a taste. Surprise! We found mutual appreciation of those tender innards, much juicier than the flowery tops calling for more hummus.

It takes extra time removing the woody outsides, but we don’t mind. The payoff is worth a few minutes, especially since we often chat in the meantime. Or, with our open floor plan, I can stand at the kitchen island behind him on the couch, together enjoying some digital recording or other. Besides, I enjoy wielding our quality Wusthof chef’s knife.

All those trimmings (right) yielded a small but tasty harvest.

 Has a hidden fact about familiar fruits or vegetables ever surprised you? Is it time we try growing broccoli this summer for the stems?

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