Pei tsai can be eaten raw or steamed, boiled, or quickly stir-fried. Pei tsai refers to several small, loose-leafed Chinese cabbages. Pei tsai is loose-headed cabbage with long, narrow, textured leaves whose tips branch outwards. It grows to about 12 inches (30 cm) tall. The light green, ruffled leaves and prominent white stalks are tender […] More
Napa cabbage or wong bok is a sweet-tasting hearted type of Chinese cabbage. It is barrel-shaped, with tightly-wrapped leaves and a dense heart. Napa cabbage can be steamed, boiled, quickly stir-fried, or eaten raw. Napa cabbage has a light, sweet taste and is tender. It is the best storing of Chinese cabbages and can be […] More
Mizuna has a mild and tangy flavor. Toss young mizuna leaves in a mixed salad. Larger leaves—which can have a mustardy or bitter-green tang–are best cooked briefly. Mizuna is sometimes called potherb mustard. Mix mizuna with other salad greens and mesclun or add shredded mizuna leaves to soups and stir-fries at the end of cooking. […] More
For a light delicate taste reminiscent of licorice and anise, choose Florence fennel. Florence fennel–which is also known as bulb fennel and in Italy as finnochio—is a pale-green, feathery-topped vegetable, with celery-like stems and swollen bulb-like bases of overlapping broad layers. The harvest season for this cool-weather vegetable is early fall through spring. How to […] More
Curly endive and escarole are both chicories of the same species. These two slightly bitter-tasting leafy greens can be eaten raw in winter or spring salads or added to soups where their tastes become mild. Curly endive has narrow, finely cut, curly leaves. Escarole has smooth, rounded, broad leaves. Often, the names endive, escarole, and […] More
The fava bean—which is also known as the broad bean, English bean, Windsor bean, and horsebean–can be eaten fresh or dried. As fava beans mature, their flavor grows increasingly starchy and strong. The smallest beans—less than the size of a small fingernail—are the sweetest. The outer skins of medium- and large-sized fava beans have a […] More
Rhubarb is sharp and pungent with a fresh spring taste. Fresh rhubarb sauce and pie season starts in early spring and runs nearly to the first day of summer. Often thought of as a fruit, rhubarb is a vegetable. In some regions, rhubarb is so much thought of as a dessert fruit that it is […] More
Pumpkins can be cooked and served as a hot vegetable. Pumpkin is a term that can be applied to almost hard-skinned squash. In the United States, the name pumpkin commonly means a large rounded orange squash. Favorite pumpkin recipes How to Make Pumpkin Ice Cream How to Make Creamy Pumpkin Soup Pumpkin with Coconut Curry […] More
Radicchio is a sharp-tasting cool-weather salad green that can be simply dressed with vinaigrette. It also can add a spicy note to mixed green salads dominated by milder salad greens. Radicchio is a type of leaf chicory that resembles a small redhead of lettuce or cabbage. Radicchios can range in size from a large radish […] More
Parsnips can be peeled, sliced, and sautéed or steamed like carrots. You can boil and mash them with butter and cream like potatoes. Parsnips can be cut into chunks and added to soups or stews or baked in the oven with meat stock and butter. Roast parsnips with beef, pork, or chicken. You can parboil […] More
Some say salsify has the subtle, sweet flavor of an oyster. Some say salsify has the flavor of asparagus or artichokes. Salsify is sometimes called “oyster plant”. Salsify can be cooked in many of the same ways as carrots, parsnips, and potatoes. It can be steamed, baked, boiled, sautéed, or braised. Salsify can come to […] More
The sunchoke can be eaten raw or cooked. It has a crunchy, delicate, sweet, nutty flavor. The taste is reminiscent of jicama, water chestnuts, or artichokes. Sunchoke is the root of a perennial sunflower. The sunchoke also is called Jerusalem artichoke but it is not related to the artichoke. It is tastiest if harvested just […] More
Stephen Albert