JICAMA—A DIFFERENT KIND OF VEGGIE!
By Schoening, Diane
January 05, 2012
NEW ADDITION TO THE USD 113 LUNCH MENU!
JICAMA—A DIFFERENT KIND OF VEGGIE!
A few years ago the kids in Power Panther Pals tried a new veggie that they had never eaten or even heard of before. On January 17th all the schools in USD 113 will be enjoying Jicama as part of their lunch. Here is some information to share with your students about this unique and tasty veggie.
Jicama is a legume type veggie that grows on vines that can reach 20 feet in length. The Jicama tuber can grow up to 50 pounds but most jicama found in stores is 3-4 pounds. It is sometimes called the Mexican potato, but really doesn’t taste like a potato at all.
Jicama is a sweet veggie that has been compared in taste to the sugar snap pea. It is high in vitamin C and fiber and is excellent eaten raw but can be used like water chestnuts in Chinese dishes, in stews, stuffing, or chopped raw in salads or fresh salsa.
When purchasing jicama, look for medium sized firm tubers with dry roots. Don’t purchase tubers that are soft or have wet spots. You should peel the outer coarse brown layer and eat the crisp white inside.
The kids were pretty surprised at the sweet flavor of the jicama and most enjoyed the veggie much more than they thought they would!! So check out your grocery store and try some jicama for your family soon.
