I am feeling rested, recharged, ready to eat this week and I want to thank you all for sticking with me during the break.
Definitely want to thank Mr. O’Daniel for stepping in and not only typing up a post for me, but trying something new. Of course he will probably say from here on out that he doesn’t like plums, although he doesn’t actually hate them, but just won’t eat it again.
And that is totally fine.
My mom used to say that you don’t have to eat it all if you don’t like it, just as long as you try it. I think so many people forget that when they set out to try something new. They tell everyone they’re going to try something new, they maybe put down some money on it, set aside time for it, then they actually do it and discover they don’t like it.
Which I think is happening with jicama. First off, you may notice in the above picture that this was covered in wax. I’ve had to scrub cucumbers, apples and sometimes even squash to get a small amount of wax off but this looked like they let a candle melt all over this huge thing. Oh, need a size reference?
This is a three pound root that feels more like a small ball than a vegetable. It varies in size because I remember seeing some of these mixed in with the rutabagas and was unsure which was which.
I want to point out as well that I had no clue that I had something smeared on my left wrist until I saw this picture. It has been that kind of day honestly. Still not sure what it is but it is still there now and I don’t super care anymore.
Raw jicama has a ton of different uses, as you can see from the informative sticker there. I had a very tiny amount a long while back in a salad and I liked it, but wasn’t completely over the moon for it.
The instant I peeled this and cut some slices I went ahead and took a big ole bite out of it and it was different than what I had before.
When I was peeling it, the jicama smelled quite a bit like horseradish. It wasn’t too spicy of a smell, but it was definitely tangy with a zing attached to it.
My first bite reminded me of a pickled radish. There was an intense vinegary kind of taste. I knew this wasn’t right. I realized I had bought three pounds worth of bad jicama. I blame the wax coating for hiding what could have been a super tasty jicama.
I unfortunately only saw one at the store and didn’t have the time or money to buy another so I went ahead with my plan of preparing a bunch of jicama to help you all out.
Raw jicama can be used in a crudite platter, and I had been craving some of my mom’s veggie dip of which I ate a ton at their house recently. I don’t want to spill the ingredient list on here, but it isn’t exactly vegan. I’m not trying to become vegan, but I did want to see if I could recreate something tasty here. What that dip is made of is some silken tofu, seasonings and vinegar and it wasn’t exactly ranch dip but it was pretty dang close.
I had also heard of sprinkling chili powder and lime on jicama, which is what I have here. It is really difficult to not feel like I may be wasting a bit of food here, but I will have to give it a try another time. I BLAME THE WAX 100%.
Anyway, I put some Tajin on the chunks I cut up, which is a tasty seasoning if you’ll remember from the papaya week.
I think the raw jicama is supposed to just have a bland flavor so I would wager that you would taste more of the seasoning than the actual jicama, which I would be totally fine with because I love Tajin.
The simplest way to enjoy it is to mix it up in a salad scenario, which here I have some apples and cucumbers mixed in and was going to add vinegar before I realized the jicama was bad.
Man, this isn’t the best way to start out a recharged week is it?
I’m going to power through this week though and hopefully we’ll have something good eventually.
I will say that I want to have a re-do week at some point. I feel like I’m not actually getting to try these, what I assume are, delicious things. I’ve heard jicama is mainly desired for its texture and crispiness. I could see that appeal if it didn’t come with a sour taste.
I’ll take this moment to tell you all why there is no introduction post. At first I was just going to let it slide that there is no introduction but figured I may as well give an explanation.
My weeks are swamped at the moment. Between work, chores, cooking meals for the week so we actually eat decent food and the thirty things on my to-do list that need attention, it is becoming more difficult to maintain a consistent schedule here. I may have neglected to do quite a bit the past 30-some weeks.
Never fear, we are still here! Just at a reduced amount. I hope you understand.
I do however invite you all to try out your own new fruits and veggies and if you want to write a little bit about it, maybe snap a picture or two, I will gladly put you on here for others to see!
Go to this page to submit and if you have any pictures I’ll get in touch to post them, with permission of course.
Try 52 