There is an abundance of edible leafy greens in the summer, and most end up in the compost rather than on your plate: radish greens, turnip greens, beet greens. You can save green tops for winter months when fresh greens are scarce. They are wonderful in soups, incorporated into mashed vegetables, souffles, omelets, in meat loaf, pasta dishes, or in cooked recipes as a substitute for spinach.
Next time you buy fresh radishes or fresh baby white turnips with their beautiful green leaves from the market, make the most out of your dollars! Eat the radishes and turnips and save the green tops. Cut them off, discard wilted leaves, soak and wash the healthy leaves in cold water, spin them dry, or pat them dry with a dish towel, and freeze them in quart size freezer bags, or pack them in wide-mouth Mason glass jars or in recycled yogurt plastic containers. Make sure you label them with the date. Alternatively you could dehydrate the leaves, as you would dehydrate herbs, save them in a jar, and sprinkle them into your winter soups a few minutes before the end of the cooking time.
