ARTICHOKE SPINACH CHARD LEEKS PATTYPAN SQUASH ACORN SQUASH OKRA ARUGULA KALE SPAGHETTI SQUASH COLLARD GREENS RUTABAGA BUTTERNUT SQUASH
Artichokes have a mild, nutty flavor that compliments a variety of foods. They can be used for main dishes, side dishes, appetizers or as an ingredient in dips and sauces. Boiling, steaming, roasting and grilling are all common methods for cooking artichokes. ARTICHOKE COLLARD GREENS Collard Greens are a broad leafed green plant, that is used as an ingredient in green salads or as a vegetable to be served for a cooked vegetables dish, or combined with other ingredients to be stir-fried and served as part of a main dish. Meat can be cooked with the greens, preferably a ham hock, to provide a hearty flavor to the green. Collards can also be sautéed with garlic and olive oil.
CHARD Swiss chard is a rippled or smooth-leafed vegetable that has a white, red or yellow stalk with white veins running throughout the stalks. It has somewhat of a salty flavor with a slightly bitter taste from the greens. The leaf and stalk can be eaten raw or the leaves can be prepared like spinach or the stalks like asparagus. The leaves provide a smooth, light texture while the stalks are crisp and crunchy. Arugula is a green, multiple-lobed leaf. It is commonly used as a salad green with a hot, peppery, sharp taste. The green is a good complement to salads, soups, sandwiches and a variety of pasta and vegetable dishes. ARUGULA
KALE Kale can come in multiple forms. It is a ruffled-leafed green vegetable. Leaves can range in color from dark green to purple, kale is commonly used as a garnish for food presentation or as a cooked vegetable. The vegetable most often referred to ask Kale ahs a dark green leaves and can be eaten fresh or cooked as a side dish, providing a cabbage like taste. The stalks, which are fairly tough, are usually discarded.
LEEKS Leeks are a member of the onion family, that has an appearance similar to a scallion. Long and round in shape, the stem of the leek is white at the root end and becomes increasingly darker toward the top, which is surrounded by stiff green or blue-green leaves, depending on the variety. Leeks can be eaten fresh or cooked and added to other dishes, providing a sweet and somewhat earthy flavor that is much milder than an onion. They can be used to enhance the flavor of salad, soups, stews, quiches or meat and vegetable casseroles. Okra is a small green vegetable pod, elongated in shape, that contains numerous seeds, which release a sticky substance when cooked. Okra is commonly used as a thickener for soups and stews. It can be used in gumbo, soups, stews, vegetable and meat dishes, or salads where it may be boiled, steamed, braised sautéed or fried. OKRA
Rutabaga is a root vegetable that looks like a turnip, but is slightly larger and has a courser texture, which makes it hard to cut. The skin is pale yellow with tints of purple covering a pale yellowish-orange flesh that provides a slightly sweet flavor and a brighter orange color when cooked. They can be boiled, baked and sautéed. RUTABAGA Spinach is a leafy green with a flavor that is slightly bitter tasting. Spinach leaves can be eaten raw or cooked. Add spinach leaves to any salad or make a salad exclusively from these leaves. Add spinach leaves to a smoothie. SPINACH
Acorn Squash is a winter squash that resembles an acorn in shape. It may be dark green, tan, white or gold colored. Acorn squash can be topped with brown sugar, honey and butter, providing a sweet and somewhat nutty flavor. ACORN SQUASH Butternut Squash is a winter squash that is long and pear-shaped with a smooth tan skin that surrounds a golden-orange, somewhat fibrous flesh. When baked or microwaved, the sweet flavored, buttery smooth flesh is a favorite for puddings, pies and savory casseroles. BUTTERNUT SQUASH
PATTYPAN SQUASH Pattypan Squash is a round flat summer squash that has scalloped edges with a pale green, white or yellow outer rind. Pattypan squash can range in size from 1 inch to 4 inches in diameter. The smaller squash are typically steamed or braised and served as part of a vegetable dish, providing a slightly sweet, nutty flavor. When they are larger, the tops of the squash can be sliced off, the flesh scooped out and the remaining section fashioned into a bowl that can be stuffed with various meats, vegetables, onions, cheese or other ingredients and baked. SPAGHETTI SQUASH Spaghetti Squash is a winter squash with a flesh that forms translucent spaghetti-like strands when cooked. Quite mild in flavor if not enhanced with other ingredients, the spaghetti squash can be cooked easily by baking, boiling or steaming. It is a type of squash that is enhanced with sauces to create a more flavorful vegetable dish.