01. Roots

Let’s start at the bottom and work our way up the plant. Roots hold the plant in the ground, from which they absorb nutrients and store them as starch and sugar. Like all storage units, roots need strong walls and lots of space. Plant fibers are rigid and contain within their walls large storage chambers (vacuoles). As the plant matures, the vacuoles pack in more sugar and get bigger; at the same time, their walls thicken and get harder. The quality of a root vegetable is therefore a delicate balance between sweetness and toughness. Harvest it too soon and it will be puny and lack flavor; wait too long and its fibers will turn wooden.