"Julie Bove" > wrote in message
news:Eo93d.1042$2A1.936@trnddc08...
>
> I've been looking
> for a particular leafy vegetable that comes in some packaged salads. It
> looks like a small spinach leaf with a beet red strip down the center. I
> think it might be baby swiss chard. At any rate, my daughter loves the
> stuff and I can't seem to find those leaves just by themselves. I'm
hoping
> I can grow some next summer.
>
> --
> See my webpage:
> http://mysite.verizon.net/juliebove/index.htm
>
>

Those are simply the leaves of immature red beets. That's why they have
that red vein down the centre. If you can grow your own beets, then you can
pick some of the little leaves for use in salads or stir frys. Beets are
dead easy to grow, you can pick leaves for your daughter, ( just one or two
from each plant), and still have the beets to eat as well! They don't seem
to mind the loss of one or two leaves. I suppose it is possible to do the
same with the yellow ones too!

And Alan, it looks like those plant breeders have now released some new
versions of our old silver beet, and developed the red and bright yellow
beets for leaf production, instead of the swollen root that we call "beets".
I saw them in BiLo just the other day. The stalks seem to be the main part
that is used (for the colour I guess). They are about the size and thickness
of rhubarb.

Last year I also purchased a fairly new variety of miniature white turnip in
the veggie section, the "root" only grows into small gobes, rather like
those little round, red radishes. Yes, it is completely white, thin-skinned
and great if the raw turnip is finely sliced into a salad or stir fry. They
are just a little peppery, crisp and crunchy. We loved them.

There are just so many delicious new items now available in supermarkets in
Oz. Have you tried the marinated button mushrooms, or those teeny weeny
little pickled gerkins? And of course there are the small lebanese cucumbers
with their thin skins, for salads, and the asian "egg plants" like little
black sausages, for italian dishes.

Ooooooooh, the food, the food!!!!!

And all so low carb too.

Annette
Now you have made me feel hungry!!!!! What's for dinner, I ask my SO? Heh
heh.