Photo courtesy of River City Youth Ops
Nervous about trying new vegetables? Leave it to us!
The West Central Express Team
Holmes Elementary
We tasted produce grown in West Central’s empty lots by River City Youth Ops, a youth-run urban farm. Each summer, kids from the neighborhood work together to plant seeds, harvest the produce and sell it at local farmer’s markets.
To taste these veggies for yourself, stop by Spark Central on Wednesday nights from 5-7 p.m. to participate in K.E.R.N.E.L. and earn Market Bucks to spend on fresh produce at the Kendall Yards Night Market.
Kale
Kale is green with a purple stem and leaves. It smells like earth and has the colors of an olive or eggplant. It tastes like a leaf or grass. The stem is delicious — it tastes like broccoli. The aftertaste is strong.
Radish
The radish looks like a red carrot. They smell spicy and fresh, like something you have just pulled from the ground.
“It kind of looks like a cherry and an eggplant had a baby,” says Kristeena. “I would want it in a salad to give it some spice.” Nya, however, would not want radishes in her salad. She does not like them at all.
Turnip
“It stinks,” Navaya says right away. She decided not to taste it, but several other journalists bravely tried theirs. The turnip is just like the radish, but more creamy and less spicy. □