ROOT VEGGIE CAKES !?!?

 One of the items that I added to our STEAM program was the farm to table aspect of our school garden!  I work with our amazing physical education teacher.  We each have our important roles in this process.

My favorite activity is doing farm to table lessons with my students...including squash pasta, zucchini bread, cauliflower pizza, and more!  It is a LABOR of love!!!  But often these lessons are big memories for the students.

Gardens grow during the summer and school is not in session.  So I have to freeze and preserve as much as possible in the summer or share with our food pantry!  Or I get crazy creative and make root vegetable cakes - yes this is a new adventure!

This week was ROOT veggie fun.  On Friday, I picked the root vegetables.  I started by checking the carrots.  The seed starter pods constricted the way that they grew making tangled skinny carrots but so many bright colors!

Fun crazy carrots

Then I moved to the beets.  They were also ready!  Plus the radishes.  Honestly, I left with two piles - carrots and mystery items.  I tried to process root vegetables last year and it was one of my first fails. I am not sure what it was but boiling it made my house stink and they were not appetizing to look at or taste.  I am a bit nervous to adventure into other root veggies to be 100% honest.  But they are in the garden and now on my table...so here we go!

1 turnip
long skinny radishes
bulb shaped beets

On Sunday, I started by peeling processing the crazy carrots.  This was a labor of love.  Usually, I have a tribe of helpers but this was not feasible with these carrots.  What a metaphor for life - no matter the color on the outside - most were still orange on the inside!  

Next, I tackled my mystery red root veggies.  I cut the end off a little one and it was a beet.  I thought that the rest might be beets despite not being beet shaped.  The leaves were all similar.

I researched beet and carrot recipe since when I was done peeling and trimming my carrot pile was no long so impressive or enough for a carrot cake.  I learned how to process the beets and decided to start peeling those. 

Quickly, I realized that they were a mix of radishes and beets.  So next I divided the beets and radishes.  I peeled the beets and added those to the bowl of carrots.  It was so pretty and vibrant!  I took a picture when we were almost done shredding the carrots and beets.

Peeled carrots

So step 1 - peel the carrots and peel the beets!  Next shred - I use a food processor.  Finally, make the cake.  I only had 2 eggs and was apprehensive.  So I split the recipe for round 1.

The mixture was a pinky color with veggie flecks.  It was like nature's confetti!  I took a picture.  

Batter ready for the oven

It cooked and it was delicious!! It will freeze until Back to School night for families to sample!!!

ALL DONE!!

I have bought more eggs and ready to try the chocolate radish cake tomorrow!  This one is a bit more of a challenge...I usually compare and contrast multiple recipes and this is only one that I can find.  There is a Chinese turnip dish with a similar name.  But we shall see!

Here is the recipe link - Carrot and Beet Cake

The radish recipe to try tomorrow - Radish cake ?!?!?

Look for updates on the root veggie cakes and reviews from families! Plus I have 1 pesky turnip to address as well.  Not sure what to do with that YET!