Root Vegetables: A Fun Experiment to Try at Home!

A root vegetable is a plant whose edible part consists of the root. Examples include carrots, beets, turnips, potatoes, celery root, kohlrabi, radish, onion, and garlic. Root vegetables are an excellent source of vitamins and minerals, but have you ever considered how these nutrients make their way into the plant? This hands-on experiment will help you discover how!

What you’ll need:

• • 1 Carrot
  • Cutting board
  • Drinking glass
  • Water
  • Red food coloring

Directions:

1. Fill a glass half-full with water.

2. Add 10 drops of red food coloring into the glass of water.

3. Cut the end tip off of a carrot.

4. Put the carrot in the glass of water.

5. Put the glass near a window that gets plenty of sunshine.

6. Leave the carrot in the water for several days.

7. After several days, take the carrot out of the water and place on the cutting board.

8. Cut the carrot in half the long way and look inside; you should see red coloring in the tubes of the carrot traveling from the bottom all the way to the top.

What does this show us?

Just like the water with red food coloring was absorbed from inside the glass and traveled upward through the carrot, water containing nutrients is absorbed from soil. Water travels up the root and nutrients from soil are dispersed within the root and throughout the entire plant. So, the more nutrient-dense and biodiverse the soil is, the more nutrient-dense and biodiverse the plants we eat will be!

Information gathered and adapted from:

https://www.massfarmtoschool.org/guide/experiments-with-carrot-roots/

Asian Roasted Carrots

Ingredients

• 3 Tablespoons soy sauce
• 3 Tablespoons rice vinegar
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 teaspoons sesame oil
• 2 teaspoons fresh ginger, minced
• 6 large carrots

Directions

1. Mix together the soy sauce, rice vinegar, garlic, sesame oil, and fresh ginger to make the marinade.
2. Add and toss carrots. Leave to marinate 30 minutes.
3. Drain.
4. Roast at 425 degrees F for 20-25 minutes.

Recipe makes: 3 servings

Nutrition Information:

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Recipe adapted from:

https://cookeatshare.com/recipes/asian-roasted-carrots-657121