Supermarket Perimeter - November 2019 - 43

ENCINO, CALIFORNIA-BASED
RETAILER GELSON'S offer a full lineup
of root-to-stem vegetables in its fresh
produce department, with kale, collard
greens, chard, beets, carrots and other
commodities leading the way, says Paul
Kneeland, the company's executive
director of fresh operations.
The biggest changes in the category
in recent years, Kneeland says, have
been in the explosive growth of kale and
organic vegetables.
Initially, Gelson's had trouble sourcing
many of the organic root-to-stem veg-

Value-added has also made its impact
on the category, Kneeland says. Cut kale,
cut collards and cut chard in bags are a
growing category for Gelson's and other
retailers.
The rise in value-added and other
options within a given commodity has
caused a decline in demand for some
bulk root-to-stem vegetables, Kneeland
says. Carrots are one example.
"You have so many different things to
choose from - bagged minis, bagged
babys regular bagged carrots. And some
people don't want to deal with the tops."

etables, and they were more expensive, but in recent years volumes have
gone way up and prices have dropped
accordingly.
And then there's kale.
"Obviously there's been a craze for
kale for years, but it's still quite hot. It
continues to grow."
With the surge in demand for kale,
Gelson's opened up a signiﬁcant
amount of shelf space in its produce
departments. In some cases space
devoted to some lettuce shrunk to
make room for all the extra kale.
The whole kale plant is a huge seller
not only in Gelson's produce section,
Kneeland says, but also in the retailer's
deli section.
"Kale is one of our most popular salads, Jessica's Crunchy Kale Salad, which
was created by our dietitian." Root-tostem applications also can be found in
Gelson's chefs deli and prepared foods
dishes, he adds.
Another evolution in grocery
stores' root-to-stem vegetable offerings has been in how they're used,
and as a result, what they're called,
Kneeland says.
"When it ﬁrst came out, it was
basically all used for cooking, so it was
called the 'cooking veg' section," he
says. "Now leaves are being used for
juicing, collards are in wraps, kale
is used for juicing - there are
so many more
uses now."

Many consumers, he adds, feel the
same way about beets. The category
as a whole is very popular, he says, but
with more pre-peeled value-added
options available, people see the
advantage of not having to do that work
themselves.

ROOT-TO-STEM TIPS
FROM FOOD HALL
PIONEER EATALY
ROOT VEGETABLES:
Celery root pairs well with seafood. Try a
celery root purée for a sear-roasted ﬁsh ﬁlet
by cutting the root and a few small potatoes
into pieces, and simmer with a few small garlic
cloves until tender. Purée the vegetables with
some of the remaining cooking liquid, a little
cream, and salt and pepper to taste.
Parsley root can be substituted in cooked
recipes that call for carrots, parsnips, and
turnips. Try them baked in a gratin, pan-fried
in fritters, or deep-fried as chips.
Many roots play nicely with other roots and
tubers. Try them try them roasted, mashed, or
puréed together.
PEELS, SKINS AND RINDS:
These are one of the ﬁrst things to go in the
garbage bin, but the pigments of produce
are healthful, and the skins and peels are
a concentrated source of phytochemicals,
soluble ﬁbers, and antioxidants.
For a dessert option, sprinkle the zest of a
citrus fruit into a cookie or muffin recipe to
add a delightful kick, or discover how to candy
the rinds.
Skins also work great as sides. Spread wellscrubbed potato skins on an oiled cookie
sheet, drizzle a little olive oil, sprinkle a little
salt and pepper, and bake at 450 degrees
Fahrenheit for about 15 minutes. Top with
Parmigiano Reggiano.
Last but not least, give your cocktails an extra
twist by infusing the spirits with fresh fruit or
vegetable peels and skins.

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Supermarket Perimeter - November 2019

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