Two more new veggies and I'll be caught up. These are two of my favorite discoveries, but they have not been popular with my family.

One day I was looking for unfamiliar foods in the produce department and saw a sign for Mexican potatoes. A closer look found the word Jicama on a label of a furry looking vegetable. The ER4YT data base listed it as a neutral. My vegetable guide said if it was eaten raw it was like water chestnuts; if it was cooked it was like oven fries. I hadn't had French fries since last summer, and oven fries sounded really good. My daughter and I think these are delicious. My husband and son say "no thanks." She, like me, has made the decision to stop eating potatoes. My husband and son both know that potatoes are avoids, but will still order a value meal at a fast food restaurant. My theory is that the longer you go without "real" French Fries, the better the Jicima fries taste.

When I noticed parsnips were beneficial to Type Os and Type As, I set out to find some. I asked a young man working in the produce department if he had any parsnips, and he gave me a totally blank look. He checked his vegetable guide and said, "Oh, you mean white carrots. That's what most people call them." While he went to get some, I saw that his guide said they were good with maple syrup. That first night I cooked them in the pressure cooker. They were really soft and by the time I stirred in maple syrup and butter, they looked liked mashed potatoes. I told the family they were parsnips, not mashed potatoes, but no one really liked them (was it the taste or the way they looked?). I still had half a bag left, so a few days later I sliced them and steamed them until they were barely soft. I tossed them with maple syrup and butter and they were delicious. The family has tried them fixed the new way, and still does not care for them. I fix them for myself at least once a week. I can't get enough. They are high in potassium; maybe my body needs more potassium right now. It is a bit of a disappointment that my enthusiasm for parsnips is not shared by anyone in my house.