Beetroots are so beautiful naturally, that anything you make out of it will look beautiful.

I was planning to make these beetroot flowers for quite some time now….somehow,it just went on delaying. Today when I went to buy my regular veggies I saw some nice and fresh Beetroots. Freshly arrived veggies look so beautiful! I picked up two big Beetroots and one big Radish-to make the leaves.

Beetroot is a good source of vitamin C, potassium, manganese and fibre, it contains less calories and no fat. Research and studies show that it may also reduce the risk of Cancer. It is very good for pregnant women as it contains lots of folate. Although, there is a common myth that beetroot is good for blood. It is very low on Iron, so it will not help prevent anaemia.

Roses? Nah….! Look carefully!

I’ve seen not many kids like eating Beetroot, though as a kid I used to love it for the simple reason that it gave me pink lips! I am happy that these experiments of mine are teaching my kids to appreciate and enjoy the veggies.

I have also used Radish in this arrangement. Radish is a great source of vitamin C and is rich in minerals like sulphur, iron, and iodine. It is very commonly used in the North Indian households on a daily basis for salads and paratha’s. The leaves of Radish, are also used to make sabzi.

My Suggestions for making this arrangement…

Select big and round beetroots
Radish also should be big, fat and firm.
Keep the Radish leaves and Beetroot flowers separately.
Also while arranging, make sure not to stain the leaves, arrange the flowers first and then the leaves.

CARROT CENTER PIECE

Posted on July 10, 2009

This Carrot Flower Center Piece is my personal favorite.

You will need very big sized carrots to make this center piece. That reminds me of a funny incident…I went to a vegetable shop to buy carrots for this carving arrangement, I had to buy the BIG ones…So,I was digging deep in the heap (wow! that rhymes!) for the BIG and Notoriously Fat carrots, there was an elderly lady beside me,who was picking up some nice and the most slender carrots from the heap. She looked at me and said, “You know, the slender ones are better”. I was so engrossed in my digging that I absently said, “I know” and continued my quest. In a couple of moments I realised that I should have been polite to this lady, so I looked up at her with a faint stupid smile on my face. She looked at the “Trophies” in my hand, rolled up her eyes and moved on the heap of tomatoes!

This recent “Art Attack” of mine has given me some fun memories,that I will cherish for a long time. The Other day, I had thought of a fruit carving, and I needed some Lettuce leaves for the base. Now, there is a store from a famous retail chain, very close to where I live. This store has a reputation of having the things “out of stock” when you need them the most! I was feeling lucky that day and thought I might just get what I wanted. I walked into the store,looked around….The store did not disappoint me this time either,I couldn’t see any signs of lettuce leaves. Generally, the salesgirls or sales boys have a standard answer “Out of stock,madam”….with a hint of apology and sympathy on their faces. So I asked the salesman if they had Lettuce, expecting the same answer….but he gave me a look which said….”What are you talking about??” But I was so determined to make that carving that I started looking for options. I saw a basket full of fresh Cauliflowers,that had just arrived. The cauliflower is naturally blanketed with big leaves, I plucked some leaves-thinking that they’ll be thrown away,anyway-and put them in my cart. Man,was I lucky or what, I thought to myself and happily walked towards the billing counter. Unfortunately, The same guy whom I had asked for lettuce,was doing the billing…after he had billed rest of the items, I was about to tell him that I am taking these leaves, they are of no use to you….He looked at me, and said,”madam, yeh khaane ki cheez nahin hai,we throw it off…”. Probably he thought I knew nothing about “leafy vegetables”. I paid the bill and said,”I know”…..and didn’t turn back to see the expressions on his face!