Japanese turnips

Laura Avery sneaks a peak into chef DJ Olsen's shopping basket this week at the Santa Monica Farmers' Market. He's inspired by chef Tony Esnault's legumes de saison at Spring in Downtown LA. Esnault's signature dish is a medley of seasonal vegetables that calls for cooking each one separately "to bring it to its fullest expression." Japanese turnips are just one of the winter vegetables Olsen will use to create his vibrant vegetable palette. ‘Tis the season for Gus Jimenez's golf ball-sized turnips at his farm in Los Olivos, California. Each of the white-fleshed turnips comes topped with a shock of edible greens, so be on the lookout for these flavorful root vegetables at your local farmers markets.

Music: "Passion Fruit" by Belle and Sebastian