There's a food honored virtually every day of the year and January begins the parade of National Food Holidays by celebrating hot tea, oatmeal, soup, eggs and wheat bread. This Sunday, January 6 is Bean Day so you might want to make a hearty Bean Soup with that left over ham bone and fresh market carrots, onions, celery and potatoes.

Root vegetables are nutritional storehouses and sometimes overlooked, but they’re great choices for winter soups, stews, pot pies and casseroles. They also do very well on their own to roast and serve as a side dish.

One of the hardiest of root vegetables looks like a wide-top, ivory colored carrot. Parsnips are at the best after being touched by a little winter frost. The cold actually improves their flavor by converting some of the stored starch to sugar, resulting in a sweet, nutlike flavor.

To prepare parsnips trim the root ends and tops and pare with a vegetable peeler. Rinse before slicing, shredding or cutting into julienne strips. Parsnips may be served raw like carrots but are not as tender so many end up in soups and stews or alongside a roast of beef.

Turnip and rutabaga are look alike cousins and the fresh greens are edible and excellent sources of Vitamins A and C. Most turnips have white flesh and purple crowns, rough hairy leaves and medium grained texture. A high water content means turnips do not store well so it’s best to use them immediately after purchasing. Rutabagas on the other hand are more solid with a longer storage life. The yellow-orange roots, topped with smooth, waxy leaves are generally larger, sweeter and stronger-flavored than turnips.

There’s a knobby, brown bulb at the market that’s definitely worth a try cooked up and mashed with potatoes and garlic – celery root (celeriac). Under the rough exterior is a mild flavored crispy flesh that’s delicious raw or cooked!

Other root vegetables showing up at the market include beets, potatoes, and carrots. Try a roasted root medley by cutting your favorite washed and peeled root vegetable into 1 inch pieces (4 to 5 cups total) and tossing with 2-3 tablespoons olive oil and salt to taste in an oven proof dish. Cover with foil and bake at 400 degrees for about 45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes. Toss on some fresh, chopped rosemary as a finishing touch if desired.

Enjoy and see you at the market!