As you probably already know, our program runs on the belief that we can grow a love for vegetables in children by getting them hands on in the cooking process and by offering them nutrition information that is most relevant to growing bodies and minds. We know, as research supports, that exposure to nutrient dense foods increases the frequency of children’s consumption of them.

Understanding how to read a nutrition label is essential for your health. Getting in the habit of making sure to read the label at the time of purchase is key. Knowing what to look for and what the values mean is fairly simple once you get accustomed to checking. Here’s a quick guide on what to keep an eye out for and how to talk to your kids about being a conscious consumer.

One really cool thing about our “Veggiecator Nation” is that our instructors come from all over the world and from a range of backgrounds. We met Darren Hunter at gathering we participated in Pennsylvania for a group of Tower Garden distributors whose interest in health and wellness had begun to grow outside the garden. Darren, a man who believes in passions over possessions, believes in helping people unlock the power of vegetables to help transform their lives.

As Veggiecators we know (and research shows) that cooking with kids increase their intake and appreciation for healthy foods. With the right tools and attitude, cooking with kids can be fun and simple too! We have put together a list of Favorite Kids Cooking Tools that makes it easy to bring the whole family into the kitchen!

Did you know that only 3% of food waste gets diverted from a landfill each year? It’s true, and that it’s a shockingly low percentage. Working together, we can definitely increase this number over time.  You might be surprised to learn that cutting down on food waste starts with prep.

As we approach winter, there is so much to look forward to: the holidays, spending time with your family and friends, days off from work, and the overall basic festivities of the holiday season. However, there’s also one major part of winter that most of us anticipate with a sliding scale of anxiety – the cold.

Brannan Robson is a busy lady –  working, studying, and veggiecating! As a new resident to New York City, Brannan hasn’t wasted any time getting involved in her surrounding community – whether it’s working at a local yoga studio or heading from Brooklyn to the Bronx to bring her positive energy and attitude to students across the five boroughs!

With temperatures dropping outside, we have to think of creative ways to keep warm. And what better way to do that than to turn up the heat in the kitchen? We’re talking soup!

Every Veggiecator Educator brings their own expertise and personality into the classroom. While we train instructors a specific formula and method for teaching, each has to find their own voice to make their classes a success. Some may draw on their love for children while others on their love for food and cooking. But whether they are a nurse, educator or student themselves, it’s safe to say that there’s a common passion for health and wellness across the board.

The air is chilly, the leaves are changing color, and pumpkins are everywhere.  That can only mean one thing--fall is officially here!  The temperature may be dropping, but you don’t have to hide indoors. Fall is one of the best seasons to be physically active and indulge in healthy seasonal fare. Check out our list of 5 fall activities to enjoy the changing of the seasons with a healthy twist.

We had the pleasure of attending FNCE 2013, the Food and Nutrition Conference and Expo, hosted by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics in Houston, TX. We met thousands of people and introduced them to our small, but growing company. One very enthusiastic woman stood out, took our training workshop and is now our November Veggiecator Eduator of the Month!

When we first started the Veggiecator Educator Training Workshop, we wanted to provide individuals with an opportunity to work within their own schedule, be their own boss, and to be empowered to make a difference in their community. We’re especially excited to feature this month’s Veggiecator Educator of the Month as she has taken her certification above and beyond what we could have expected. Her go-getter attitude, business drive, and passion for health and wellness have fuelled her success!

Lori Drouin is a mother of five, with children between the ages of 10-17. She lives in Turnersville, NJ where high school sports provide a great source of pride and joy for the community. She is highly involved in school activities and has been fortunate enough to teach the students about nutrition!

If you’re reading this blog, we’re going to guess that you are somewhat interested in nutrition and cooking. And if that’s the case, there’s no way that you haven’t heard of the wonderful, super nutritious, dark, leafy, slightly bitter, versatile vegetable – KALE! It’s amazing how quickly kale rose in popularity. Just a couple years ago, it was an obscure “health food” that many people had never tried and now, it is everywhere! It’s for this reason that there is a whole day dedicated to this awesome veggie; National Kale Day is the first Wednesday of every October and an annual celebration of eating, growing, and sharing kale throughout America.

So our blog for today is all about kale – read on for tips, facts, and recipes!

By now, you have likely heard of Jamie Oliver, the British celebrity chef who is on a mission to educate people about food, where it comes from and how it affects our bodies. (Sounds like a familiar mission, doesn’t it?)  You may know him as the Naked Chef, or the leader of the “Food Revolution”, the television series where he tried to change school food in West Virginia.  That series has turned into a global day of awareness, which Veggiecation took part in this year (read more).   Yes, that Jamie Oliver.  We thought you knew him.

We are believers in the power of food. The power it has to heal, to connect people, save our earth, help economies grow, and cross cultural bridges. You can speak with food and show love with food. People can build bonds with countries just through eating food from that region because it helps open our minds to a world outside ourselves, if only just a little.  We have always sought to create recipes that are culturally relevant – whether it’s an Edamame Dip or a soup with Latin spices. We thought it would be fun to dig a little deeper and look take a longer look into the foods of various cultures.

Being based in the New York City area, we have access to a wide range of foods from all over the world.  Being the food lovers/cooks that we are, we’ve experimented with more than a couple cuisines in our own kitchens and classrooms. We want going to share these explorations with you in this new blog series about foods of the world. First stop on our world tour – Japan!

We’re going south to highlight our next Veggiecator Educator of the month! 

This month, we’re featuring Carole from St Augustine, Florida. We asked her a couple questions about being a mom, a Veggiecator Educator, and what her favorite stories and recipes are. See her answers below!

If you haven’t been able to tell by now, we love eating plants! We love them for their health benefits, their taste, their texture, and we even love the beauty of them. The plants we work with are the common bunch – carrots, broccoli, peppers, kale, spinach, etc – because that’s what’s readily available in stores and most commonly eaten as food.

Could you believe that we’ve trained over 100 Veggiecator Educators in the first year since we introduced the Veggiecation Educator Training Workshop (VETW)?! We’ve certified educators, students, stay-at-home mothers, hospital employees, and entrepreneurs to teach our signature Healthy Kids Cooking Classes.

We are so proud to work with all of these passionate, health-minded individuals who believe in the power of culinary-nutrition education! That’s why we’d like to take a moment to feature the amazing work of Jackie Caputo. Jackie is the first Veggiecator Educators whose work we will be featuring in a new blog series where we will highlight the accomplishments of some of our most inspired instructors. We hope to spread their passion by sharing their stories!

Last year, we were presented with an incredible opportunity to expand our program to Korea through Montclair State University, Lisa’s alma mater. Up until that point, we hadn’t fully considered expanding outside of North America. We were already “veggiecating” Canada, which seemed to make sense geographically, culturally, and linguistically. And it’s for those reasons we had not seriously considered going as far as East Asia!

The population of New Jersey is 8.9 million. Did you know it is the most densely populated state in the US? Even more surprising and very disconcerting is that 1.2 million of that population is food insecure. Hunger is a real issue that is right at our doorstep. It is not a particularly glamorous food issue to discuss, but it is pertinent right now. Being food insecure doesn’t necessarily mean starving; it means not always knowing where your next meal is coming from.

As we’ve been building the exciting new Tower to Table Program with our partners at Green Bronx Machine. We invite to you take a deeper look into what the program will entail.

This is a free, educational seminar that we are sharing with anyone who is interested in school gardens, new growing technologies, the Tower to Table Program, and all of the income generating opportunities presented with Tower Gardens and the Tower to Table Program.

As a company that is dedicated to teaching our youth the importance of cooking and nutrition, this year’s Food Revolution Day (FRD) was especially exciting! In it’s third year, the focus of Jamie Oliver’s FRD 2014 was on cooking with children – which is exactly our specialty.

Whether you’re a parent, educator, nutritionist, food enthusiast, or just love working with kids – teaching children about healthy cooking is always a super fun and fulfilling experience! We can all admit that children have an excitement about life that starts to fade as you get older. Their brains are naturally filled with a wonder and passion that most adults have to struggle to maintain. One way that we, at Veggiecation, have maintained our child-like view of the word is by cooking with children and educating them about healthy eating.

If you’re anything like me, you probably find inspiration for recipes in one of three places:

1) Social media websites like Pinterest or Instagram

2) In your fridge – if only because you have to use everything before it goes bad

3) Or while out to dinner – because you just can’t stop craving that delicious dish you had last week.

Well, this past week I gave my hand at a simple homemade Spinach Tortilla recipe that I found on Pinterest via Momables.com. I followed the recipe step-by-step, image-by-image, with only one slight alteration to the ingredients (I subbed a small portion of spinach for kale), and yet, it was a lot less…simple than it was made out to be.

Cooking doesn’t need to be a big production in order to be delicious. The simplest ingredients and a few tricks for turning up the flavor can be the key to a successful home-cooked meal. The phrase “practice makes perfect” is true when it comes to the kitchen. The more you cook, the more you’re presented with opportunities to experiment. That being said, we have been in the business of experimenting for years!

Here are some of our favorite tips we’ve pickup along the way.

Veggiecation® has been longtime collaborators with an organization whose mission we wholeheartedly believe in, the Green Bronx Machine. This organization is dedicated to growing plants, knowledge, and “local economic engines” as Stephen Ritz, founder of GBM, likes to call it. We are in awe of the inspiring work and energy with which Stephen and GBM tackles issues of health, nutrition, sustainability, and equality. It’s for this exact reasons that we are so incredibly excited for a new endeavor that we recently launched with this amazing organization called the Tower to Table Program: Zero Miles to Your Plate!

Chocolate has been around for centuries – as far back as the Roman Empire – and has been highly regarded for everything from its powerful properties to its unique flavor. The chocolate that was first introduced to Europe in the 16^th Century however, was not the same as the milk chocolate-y sweetness that you find in cardboard shaped hearts on Valentine’s Day. There was no such thing as chocolate filled caramel or chocolate covered peanuts, the original version of chocolate is something that you can now find in health food stores called Cacao.

The USDA recommends we have a minimum of FIVE one-half cup servings of fruits and veggies everyday to maintain our health.  With busy lives and full schedules, sometimes we have a hard time meeting that minimum requirement. We think it is best to get a jump on the day and eat veggies for breakfast.  Try these sweet and delicious spinach-banana oat pancakes. They are oh-so-yummy and super nutrient dense. 

Veggiecation’s primary audience is children. Therefore, we have to be especially careful and alert when it comes to food-borne allergies. Severe allergic reactions to food have been on the rise over the past several years.  Parents, schools, and after-school programs have to be highly sensitive to children with allergies. 

Veggiecation recipes use a variety of whole ingredients. We attempt to stay away from the Top 8 Allergens but at times, healthy recipes can call for ingredients such as milk, yogurt, or nut butters. We strive to make our Healthy Kids Cooking Classes a safe environment for ALL students so it is our responsibility to be creative and seek out suitable substitutions.

Kale is one of the most nutritious vegetables around but if you’re not used to the bitter taste and tough texture, you might be turned off by this dark, leafy, green. Regardless of its acquired taste, kale has become something of a fad in recent years due to publicity it’s received for being a “super food.” The various creations that have been made out of kale span from smoothies to chips, but the healthiest way to enjoy kale is raw. Need help digesting that? Here’s a trick to increase kale enjoyment!

On January 9^th, all 7 Whole Foods Markets stores in Manhattan will be donating 5% of their profits for the day to the New York Coalition for Healthy School Food.  This type of community fundraiser, “5% days,” happens a couple times a year in Whole Foods Markets across the country. Each store or region gets to decide what organization/cause they want to support in their surrounding community. This year, we are thrilled that our long time partners and close friends have been chosen for this awesome opportunity!

Is eating better in 2014 a part of your New Year health plan? Eating healthy can be hard if you don’t have the right mindset. Oftentimes, people begin their new diets with such strict limitations and ideas of what it means to be healthy, that they soon end up eating much worse than they did when they started.  Instead, set yourself up for success with these simple tips to make sure this New Year’s resolution sticks!

If you’re looking for the perfect guilt-less holiday treat to bring to parties and family gathering, look no further!  We recently developed an amazing recipe for no-cook “munchkins.” 

Over the past five decades, soda consumption per capita has increased by almost 500 percent. This may not seem alarming, but here’s the troubling part: children are a major reason for this colossal increase.

Soda is the biggest source of calories in the United States today. It is loaded with high fructose corn syrup (HFCS), a cheap and damaging type of sugar. Even more problematic are diet sodas, which contain toxic artificial sweeteners like aspartame.

A lot of children today are introduced to soda at a young age. As they grow up, their soda consumption only increases.   

In fact, an estimated 56 percent of eight-year-olds drink soda every day. By the time they become teenagers, they are already consuming at least three cans of soda daily!

With these figures, it’s no wonder many children are now in a poor state of health.

If you are like a most people and crave the occasional crunchy snack, go for a handful seeds rather than the bag of chips or pretzels.  Seeds are nutrient dense and versatile so you can feel guilt free when you indulge in the occasional snack.   

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a painful joint condition, affecting nearly every movement of the body, and if you’re one of the unlucky ones who suffer from this, you probably experience pain, stiffness and fatigue on a daily basis. As those with RA age, usually these symptoms worsen to the point where daily activities and routines become difficult and sometimes impossible.

The holiday season is a time to spend with the ones you love, sharing delicious foods and catching up with people you might only get to see once a year.  Personally, it’s one of my favorite times of the year!  Of course it’s stressful at times with shopping, cooking and traveling to visit family and friends when everyone else in the world seems to be doing the same thing.  But once you’re there, in the middle of a celebration and you feel the energy of people around you and you see the smiles – there is nothing better.

A lifetime of healthy habits that focus on whole plant foods such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts and seeds can be formed in the kitchen. In fact, most traditional, cultural diets—whether from Peru or Asia—are based on plants and emphasize nutritious, home cooked meals.  Even in our own country, our diet once gravitated more towards plant-based meals prepared in the home.  My mother, who grew up in Arkansas, for example, enjoyed a wholesome plant-based diet; a typical meal was black-eyed peas, foraged greens, and cornbread.   

Have you ever been told to drink soda when you’re feeling nauseous?  If you’ve ever wondered how that got to be the cure for an upset stomach, you can guess by the title of this blog.  Back when soda was made from real ingredients and carbonated water, ginger ale was created.  And because ginger is so well known for alleviating gastrointestinal issues, the soda made from it was as well.    There you have it! The abbreviated history of a common cure for nauseous!

But before there was ginger ale, the soothing powers of ginger were known in ancient China, India, and in the Middle East.  You’ve probably seen it in all forms: raw, powered, candied, juiced, as a tea, and pickled.  The most pungent and flavorful form though, would be it’s raw, root form.  Peel the skin, slice, grate, or dice and add to any dish for an added kick to any dish. 

To paint a picture of the current food marketing campaign in the US, here a few facts:

• The food and beverage industry spends approximately $2 billion per year on marketing to children. (Source Prevention Institute)
• Kids watch an average of over 10 food-related ads every day. (Source Prevention Institute)
• Nearly all (98%) of food advertisements viewed by children are for products that are high in fat, sugar, or sodium.  (Source Prevention Institute)

Food education and kids cooking is a growing movement that, needless to say, we at Veggiecation support with every fiber in our being.  For years, there has been a downward trend towards cheap and easy meals that come from a can or a bag.  Factors such as high sugar intake, little activity, and a lack of food knowledge have lead to a childhood obesity epidemic that could cause of the first generation of children with a shorter life expectancy than their parents.  When you consider junk food marketing and other socio-economic issues, how can we expect children to know any better?  - to make healthy food choices?  We can’t, and that’s why we need to increase food education, cooking classes, and above all, awareness.

Foods with “antioxidant” properties are featured or mentioned so often when it comes to eating well that they have become indicators for healthy food.  When the word is used to define a fruit or vegetable, it’s often just assumed that the product being talked about is good for you.  However, while it’s important to eat foods that benefit your health, it’s equally important to know the reasons behind such claims.  A basic understanding of terms will allow you to sort through the facts and fads of healthy eating.

Here’s a simple introduction to the world of antioxidants for the interested folks out there who want to know more!

The Monday Campaigns are a public health initiative that raises awareness by dedicating the first day of every week to health.  From nutrition to caregiver dedication, the Monday Campaigns offer a once a week challenge that make a big difference.  Why Monday?  Because studies show that people consider Monday “a fresh start” and actions/precautions taken on Monday are more likely to help them carry out their healthy intentions for the week.  Its pretty genius when you think about it – if you can’t get people to commit to an idea every day, ease them into it by asking for a Monday Pledge.  Who knows what progress can happen from there?

While all the campaigns are equally inspiring, we’d like to highlight the two that are most relevant to the mission of Veggiecation – Meatless Monday and The Kids Cook Monday.  You may have heard about either or both of these campaigns somewhere without realizing the powerful impact that they have.

Whether you have six kids or one, it’s a challenge to create five meals a week that are not only exciting to eat, but also maintain their flavor for the 3-4 hours between breakfast and lunch.  Some tips on how to create the perfect lunch for your child are to:

- include them when shopping

- make sure to consider the four main food groups (grain, protein, fruit, veggie) 

- Incorporate different textures and colors. 

Fuel your little ones brain and body with nutrient dense recipes and healthy substitutions.

Over the past two years, Veggiecation has partnered with the Northeast Region of Whole Foods Market to bring Free Kids Cooking Classes to customers in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut.  During these cooking classes, children enthusiastically take part in the preparations and tastings of Veggiecation recipes. Whole Foods Market provides their high-quality ingredients for these tasty nutrition health lessons. The first of these classes was held in the Upper West Side store in 2011 only to expand to over 20 stores over the course of the next 12 months. 

We are excited to announce that in just a few short weeks, Veggiecation will be launching a brand new concept and website! Our goal is to provide indidivuals with the skills and tools necessary for teaching the healthy kids cooking classes that Veggiecation has become famous for. In order to accomplish this, we will be launching the Veggiecation Educator Training Workshop (VETW).

As you may know, it is the mission of Veggiecation to promote and educate communities on the health benefits of vegetables and how to prepare them in simple, unique, affordable, and most importantly, delicious ways. The Veggiecation Educator Training Workshop offers certification for independent instructors who go have a passion for health, nutrition, and wellness. The certification process is simple, comprehensive and empowering for anyone that is looking to promote culinary and nutrition education in their communities.

Picky eaters? Try making food food fun!

Getting children to eat vegetables isn't always easy and we often look for new ways to make healthy eating fun for our young ones. At Veggiecation, we promote an interactive approach that involves getting the kids in the kitchen with us as we cook. Now, that's the preparation portion of the meal, but what about actually getting the kids to eat the stuff?

A study by Brian Wansink, a leading nutrition education researcher, has found that kids are more likely to eat veggies when a fun name is involved. Calling peas "power peas" almost doubled the preference in young children. Rather than tricking or hiding vegetables in your children's meal, creating a fun and descriptive name game gets them to let their guard down.

The first all vegetarian lunch menu at a public school has arrived and it happens to be right in New York!  One of Veggiecation’s educational partners, the New York Coalition for Healthy School Food (NYCHSF) has played an key role in make this groundbreaking menu a reality.  Robert Groff, the principal of P.S. 224, located in Flushing Queens, said that in new menu was a “natural match” for their goal of creating a healthier school in general.    

What is especially exciting about this innovative menu is that children are enthusiastic about the food and aware of the benefits of eating healthy and nutritious food.  NYCHSF works to implement nutrition education to familiarize children with the importance of healthy eating.  They have also helped design recipes for the plant-based menu.  In the cafeteria, Veggiecation’s Informational Veggie Posters decorate the walls to help promote the health benefits of vegetables, beans, and herbs students are finding on their plates.

Picky eaters?  Try making food food fun!

Getting children to eat vegetables isn't always easy and we often look for new ways to make healthy eating fun for our young ones. At Veggiecation, we promote an interactive approach that involves getting the kids in the kitchen with us as we cook. Now, that's the preparation portion of the meal, but what about actually getting the kids to eat the stuff?

A study by Brian Wansink, a leading nutrition education researcher, has found that kids are more likely to eat veggies when a fun name is involved. Calling peas "power peas" almost doubled the preference in young children. Rather than tricking or hiding vegetables in your children's meal, creating a fun and descriptive name game gets them to let their guard down.

Time to get children involved and eating!

Getting children to eat vegetables isn't always easy and we often look for new ways to make healthy eating fun for our young ones. At Veggiecation, we promote an interactive approach that involves getting the kids in the kitchen with us as we cook. Now, that's the preparation portion of the meal, but what about actually getting the kids to eat the stuff?

A study by Brian Wansink, a leading nutrition education researcher, has found that kids are more likely to eat veggies when a fun name is involved. Calling peas "power peas" almost doubled the preference in young children. Rather than tricking or hiding vegetables in your children's meal, creating a fun and descriptive name game gets them to let their guard down.

Lisa Suriano, founder and CEO of Veggiecation, filmed with Shelley Goldberg of New York 1 this morning, March 20th.  Shelley has been on air for 18 years providing parents with tips on where to go and what to do with their children.  Lisa spoke of the free Whole Foods Market cooking classes that Veggiecation conducts in select Whole Foods in NYC.  To learn more about these cooking class dates, please click here.

The recipes that were highlighted in the segment were our Shamrock Smoothie and our Super Snap Pea Salad.  Recipes are below and we welcome you to try them out for yourselves! We would love to know how your version turned out, so feel free to comment on this blog post.

Spring time brings energy to all and we're happy to be along for the ride!  By the middle of March, peas and radishes will be planted, germinating, and showing their shoots of new life above the soil. As new life above ground spreads to new territories, so will Veggiecation. Conferences, conventions, and expos are opportunities to collaborate with others on the front lines in this battle for health, we're all in this together. We'll be absorbing new information and Veggiecating all we can!

March is National Nutrition Month and we'll be celebrating in a variety of ways! Our first Veggiecation rendezvous was Saturday, March 2nd, at Bryant Park in Manhattan for the Kids Food Festival. Simply a day of fun and health, kids will be participating in all sorts of activities: food scavenger hunts, dancing, cooking, and sampling delicious healthy dishes.

Time to get children involved and eating!

Getting children to eat vegetables isn't always easy and we often look for new ways to make healthy eating fun for our young ones. At Veggiecation, we promote an interactive approach that involves getting the kids in the kitchen with us as we cook. Now, that's the preparation portion of the meal, but what about actually getting the kids to eat the stuff?

A study by Brian Wansink, a leading nutrition education researcher, has found that kids are more likely to eat veggies when a fun name is involved. Calling peas "power peas" almost doubled the preference in young children. Rather than tricking or hiding vegetables in your children's meal, creating a fun and descriptive name game gets them to let their guard down.

Ever since attending the opening reception for Our Global Kitchen in November, we have been excited to return and participate! Talk about a food atmosphere, my oh my was the energy high as museum guests rekindled their relationship with food. It's impossible not to, when around every corner your senses are engaged as you absorb new information about the history and future of food. By the time guests weaved their way through the exhibition, they were well educated and now ready to be Veggiecated!

Our Working Kitchen, sponsored by Whole Foods, is a functioning kitchen enclosed in glass that invites curious passersby to participate. We were in the veggie zone as we served heath to over 2000 people! Our very own Sweet and Snappy Salad, featuring Celebrity Celery was the recipe for day one. Super Spinach dazzled the crowd in an early Valentine's Day showing in our Sweetheart Smoothie on day two!

Time to get children involved and eating!

Getting children to eat vegetables isn't always easy and we often look for new ways to make healthy eating fun for our young ones. At Veggiecation, we promote an interactive approach that involves getting the kids in the kitchen with us as we cook. Now, that's the preparation portion of the meal, but what about actually getting the kids to eat the stuff?

A study by Brian Wansink, a leading nutrition education researcher, has found that kids are more likely to eat veggies when a fun name is involved. Calling peas "power peas" almost doubled the preference in young children. Rather than tricking or hiding vegetables in your children's meal, creating a fun and descriptive name game gets them to let their guard down.

The sweet beet is hard to beat! If you like antioxidants, anti-inflammatories, and could detoxify yourself, you might as well enjoy the flavors and health from this wonderful root veggie! The deep purples come from very powerful phytonutrients called betalains. A few scientific studies found these phytonutrients to be beneficial at restricting tumor cell growth, when we say colors matter, we mean it! Though these nutrients come in high amounts in beets, you must be careful not to overcook them, you'll lose many of their heath benefits. So do your best to steam beets no longer than 15 minutes, if roasting, less than 60 minutes.

This in season superfood can be enjoyed in a variety of ways. To obtain the greatest amount of it's nutrients, enjoy raw, you won't believe how sweet beet juice can be! If you prefer them cooked, remember not to overcook. When purchasing beets, think hard, well you don't have to think too hard, but do select the hardest beet you can find! Whether eating raw, steamed, or roasted, scrub the outside with a strong veggie brush or use a peeler, this will tame down, even rid, the earthy flavors.

Enjoy!