Plants

Collard greens with red pepper and ginger Fresh chopped or shredded collards can add a little spice to salads. As well, collards can be steamed, boiled, sauteed, and added to soups and stews. Collards are a good match for smoked pork. Combine collards with mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, or beans and puree.  Collards have a

Cardoon steamed Cardoon is related to the artichoke and looks much like an artichoke. Cardoon is prepared like asparagus and celery and is served as a vegetable side dish or added to soups or stews. Cooked it is soft and meaty. Cardoon has a more bitter than sweet taste that hints of artichoke, asparagus, celery

Cocido is a Spanish meat and vegetable stew that is slowly cooked and then served in three courses or vuelcos (singular vuelco) from the same pot. There are several regional variations of cocido throughout Spain and Portugal–and in other countries where Spaniards have immigrated. While chickpeas are essential to every cocido, the combination of meats

Five nights of sub-freezing temperatures around much of California last week was a good thing for crops that benefit and actually thrive on freezing weather during their dormant time of the year—the grapes, plums, peaches, and apples that will be harvested later this year. But the severe cold snap—which broke at least temporarily this past

Leeks can be steamed, braised, grilled, and poached. You can also make leek au gratin and leek-potato soup. The flavor and fragrance of leeks are more subtle, more delicate and sweeter than onions How to Choose Leeks Select leeks that are straight, firm and intact with crisp, upright, brightly colored leaves and that have unblemished

April is time to bring in the fall crops in the Southern Hemisphere. A few fruits such as apples, pears, and grapes are still on the trees and vines in Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Argentina, and Uruguay. Many apples are harvested in April. The last of the warm season fruits and vegetables should be

Beets have a sweet, earthy taste. They can be eaten raw or cooked. If you bake or roast beets in their skins, you can enjoy that flavor at its most intense. How to Choose Beets Select beets that are firm with smooth skins and are heavy for their size. Avoid beets that are soft, flabby

Carrots can be served raw or cooked. The key to serving the best tasting carrots is to serve carrots that are not too small and not too large and to serve them as soon after harvest as possible. You can eat carrots raw whole or in sticks or grated in a salad. Carrots can be

Steamed turnip greens with beans Turnip greens can be steamed, sautéed, boiled, and prepared much like spinach. The tenderest of turnip greens are those harvested before the swollen root we call a turnip ever develops. Young greens will have the least bite. Grow turnip greens for harvest in the cool time of the year, in early

Belgian endive leaves with hummus, chickpeas, and black olives Belgian endive is commonly served raw added to winter salads or braised and served with a white sauce. Belgian endive can also be steamed, parboiled, and prepared in a gratin. The closely wrapped creamy white leaves of Belgian endive form a firm elongated, spear-shaped heart. The