Maple Ginger Roasted Root Vegetables

Recipe by Bjorn Bergman

Every year as we come out of the holiday season and dive into the new calendar year, I have trouble shifting my local-food-eating gears. The switch from eating delicious greens (like salad mix, spinach, and kale) over to a wide array of root vegetables (like beets, parsnips, carrots, and turnips) is always difficult for me. It takes a deliberate effort to designate the vegetable portion of my meals to these healthy and local root veggies.

Two years ago, I found the perfect roasted root vegetable recipe that always makes this seasonal transition a little easier. Although the original recipe idea came from the back of the Harmony Valley Farm’s Root Vegetable Mix bag that we sell in the Produce Department, I’ve adapted it to my personal tastes. I hope the recipe makes you excited about your next adventure with root veggies in your kitchen. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs mixture of local root vegetables
  (Parsnips, carrots, rutabaga, beets,
   scarlet and/or golden turnips)

• 1 Tbsp oil (butter, olive, or sunflower oil)

• 1 Tbsp maple syrup

• 1 Tbsp tamari

• 1 inch piece of ginger root, minced

• 1 tsp dried thyme or 1 Tbsp fresh thyme,   
     minced

• 1/4 tsp black pepper

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 450° F.

2. Rinse all root veggies. Using a sharp knife, slice up all root vegetables into ¼-½ inch slices. Place all sliced veggies in a large bowl and toss with oil, maple syrup, tamari, ginger, thyme, and pepper. On one or two sheet trays, evenly distribute all root veggies in a single layer.

3. Place in oven and bake for 35-45 minutes until vegetables are soft and begin to brown. Turn veggies once during cooking to ensure even baking.

4. Once they are done cooking, remove roasted veggies from oven, let cool for 5 minutes, and serve warm.