Twenty Bag | Mar 24

Spring salad mix of lettuce, spinach, radicchio, fennel, celery, beets, curly parsley, rutabagas, Brussels sprouts and winter carrots—another fantastic Bag from the Towles farm in spite of see-sawing March temperatures.

Fennel! Finally! I’ve been awaiting the arrival of this aromatic vegetable, with its lovely bright green and white hues and anise-like scent. The unique flavor and texture is showcased, simply, in this Roman-style braised fennel recipe I love, it’s so easy I think you will too. The bulbs will keep, refrigerated, in a paper bag for a few days. Save the stalks to add to a stock, and the fronds for a garnish.

Turnips versus rutabagas—what’s the difference is today’s burning question. Both are high- nutrition low-calorie options for the table. Growing up, we ate a lot of rutabagas my Mom would boil and mash, adding a bit of potato, also boiled and mashed, to lighten the flavor profile. Topped with a pat of butter, the combo was a winner we kids had no trouble eating. I will be subbing the rutabagas for turnips in one of my fave soup recipes, Deborah Madison’s hearty potage. The two root veggies are similar in taste and can be used interchangeably—for more on the matter, read this rundown from The Spruce Eats. Store both, most effectively, in the crisper drawer of the fridge.

For a better-than-boiled approach, this recipe for roasted carrots with ras el hanout from The Kingstide—Daniel Island’s must-go eatery—puts a unique spicy spin on the crunchy tuber.

Refrigerate them in a reusable bag, and the celery, beets and Brussels, likewise. Trim the ends of the parsley bouquet and keep it cool and fresh in a sturdy jar of water. Search sweetgrass + grits for plenty more recipe ideas for all of this week’s wonderful ingredients.