Don’t throw turnips – ultimate tips for making the most of your veg box 

I needed help. In the midst of the worst economic mess since the 70s/the Second World War/the 19th century/the last one* (*delete according to your preferred commentator), our family decided it was time to take a small but significant proportion of trade away from our preferred multinational supermarket and give it direct to local food producers.

But we’d done it before. And we knew the risk: handfuls of nutritious organic greens and root vegetables rotting quietly in the bottom of our fridge. So I issued the call for veg management inspiration from the experts.

Abel & Cole’s food writer Rachel de Thample responded in style – so much so that we published her advice in full a couple of weeks ago.

But here, finally is our ultimate countdown of top tips.

10. Veg knowledge is Power

Veg box providers are often pretty good at identifying unusual veg as it comes into season, but occasionally a kohl rabi or half a celeriac slips through. If you’re stumped, check out the Rogues’ Gallery at Veg Box Recipes.

9. Curries and roasts

Meals that work with all kinds of veg combinations are brilliant for using up produce. What veg doesn’t taste good with sausages, yorkshire puddings and gravy?

8. Freeze!

How to Freeze: Everything You Need to Know about Freezing and Freezer Managment (Foulsham. This book sits on top of my fridge. It’s organised by fruit and veg and tells you if you can freeze, how to, how long and how to defrost. It’s great. At the end of my veg box week (i.e. the night before my new box arrives), I take stock of anything I’ve yet to use up and freeze it using her brilliant advice. (Rachel de Thample)

7. Green for ‘goes off quickly’

Green leafy veg wilts the quickest, so get it onto your plates. Make the day you get your veg box a salad day, and have a spinach or chard recipe handy.

6. Recipe back-up

A good cookery book isn’t just information, it’s inspiration. Get one focused on seasonal veg and it should repay the investment many times over.

My favourite veg box cookery book by far is the fantastic Boxing Clever Cookbook. We have it in our shop and it’s one of our best sellers. I put together the veg box newsletter every week, which often includes one of their recipes. Where else would you find 20 recipes for swede, and a staggering 37 for carrots! By Jacqui Jones and Joan Wilmot, based on involvement in a community supported agriculture scheme in Scotland. (Lucy Ng)

5. Put it in the fridge

Put all veg and fruit (except bananas) in the fridge as soon as you can, to keep it fresh for longer.

4. Shred, add mayonnaise

If all fails anything can be eaten raw in salad or coleslaw! (Rowie Meers)

Turnip, kohl rabi, celeriac, beetroot – perfect matched with carrot, onion, lemon juice and mayo.

3. Don’t give up!

Presenting food in different ways can yield surprising results in the fussiest of children. Green carrot (kohl rabi) sticks with hummous, anyone?

There are some crazy statistics on how often you need to present a new food to a child before it may be accepted – it’s about 12 I think! (Lucy Ng)

2. Turn to the web

It’s a niche theory, but it’s just possible that the world wide web was invented to make it easier to eat seasonally. For inspiration: eat the seasons, Grow Wild’s recipe collection, Raw Food Recipes and Veg Box Recipes.

1. Time your food shopping
Plan the rest of your food shopping for the day after your veg box – that way you’ll only buy the ingredients you need to complement what you’ve already got.

With thanks to Lucy Ng (The Better Food Company), Rachel de Thample (Abel & Cole), Rowie Meers (Purton House Organics), Lindsay Girvan (Grow Wild) and Louise (Barcombe Nurseries) .

Did we get our priorities right? Missed a corking piece of veg-friendly know-how? Let us know what you think: leave a comment below, or email editor@living.morethan.com.

Header image (carrots) by Flickr user Noël Zia Lee
Other images by Flickr user Darwin Bell.