Glossary & Culinary Notes

A crisp, juicy root with mild sweetness. Peel the brown skin and serve the flesh in slaws or salads; only the root is used as food.

A winter squash with dense, sweet flesh and a nutty flavor. Roast, steam, or simmer in curries and soups.

A sturdy leafy brassica sold in curly, flat-leaf, and lacinato varieties. Remove tough stems, then sauté, braise, or finely slice for salads.

A brassica grown for its swollen stem, with a crisp texture and mild cabbage flavor. Peel the tough skin; eat raw or cook.

A Japanese leafy green sometimes called Japanese mustard spinach. Use its tender leaves and stems in soups, stir-fries, and quick braises.

A mild allium with layered white and green stalks. Split and rinse between the layers to remove grit; sauté, braise, or add to soups.

Loose-leaf varieties range from tender and sweet to lightly bitter. Use fresh in salads, wraps, and sandwiches.

The crisp, hole-patterned rhizome of the lotus plant. Peel and cook in stir-fries, braises, or soups, or use in pickles.

A climbing leafy vegetable unrelated to true spinach. Its succulent leaves become slightly thickening when cooked and work well in soups and curries.

A Japanese mustard green with feathery leaves and a mild peppery bite. Add to salads or briefly cook in soups and stir-fries.

Leafy greens with a peppery, sometimes pungent flavor. Braise, sauté, or pickle; cooking softens their sharpness.

Edible prickly pear cactus pads with a tart, green-bean-like flavor. Buy cleaned pads, remove any remaining spines, and grill, sauté, or simmer.

Tender seed pods with a grassy flavor and a natural thickening quality. Use in gumbo and stews, or roast, grill, fry, and pickle.

An allium used as a flavor base or vegetable in its own right. Raw onions are sharp; slow cooking develops sweetness.

A pale root with a sweet, earthy flavor. Roast, mash, or add to soups; remove a woody core from particularly large roots.

A small summer squash with scalloped edges. Cook whole when small, or slice, sauté, roast, and stuff larger specimens.

Tender pea stems, leaves, and tendrils with a fresh pea flavor. Serve in salads or quickly wilt in a hot pan.

Sweet green seeds removed from their pods. Steam or simmer briefly, then use in soups, purées, pasta, and vegetable dishes.

A broad, dark-green chile with generally mild to moderate heat. Roast and peel for sauces, strips called rajas, or stuffed peppers.

A starchy tuber used for roasting, boiling, frying, and mashing. Waxy types hold their shape; floury types make fluffy mash and baked potatoes.

A winter squash with firm flesh. Choose culinary varieties for soups, purées, roasting, and pies rather than relying on carving pumpkins.

A succulent leafy vegetable with a slightly tart flavor and crisp stems. Use cultivated culinary purslane in salads, soups, or quick sautés.

A red or speckled chicory with a crisp texture and bitter flavor. Shred into salads or grill and roast to mellow it.

A crisp root with a peppery bite. Use raw, pickled, roasted, or sautéed; clean, tender greens can also be cooked.

An upright lettuce with sturdy leaves and crunchy ribs. Use in Caesar salads, lettuce cups, or briefly grill halved heads.

A brassica with pale-green, pointed florets arranged in spirals. Its mild, nutty flavor suits steaming, roasting, and pasta dishes.

A large root with yellowish flesh and a sweet, earthy flavor. Peel its thick skin, then mash, roast, or simmer in stews.

A slender, pale root with a delicate flavor sometimes compared with oysters. Cook and peel, then serve with butter or add to soups.

A cabbage with crinkled leaves and a relatively tender texture. Use in stuffed cabbage, soups, sautés, and braised dishes.

A young allium with a mild white base and tender green tops. Use raw as garnish or cook in stir-fries, soups, and pancakes.

A dark-skinned root related to salsify, with pale flesh. Cook and peel for buttery side dishes, soups, or purées.

A small allium with a delicate onion flavor. Mince into vinaigrettes and pan sauces, or roast whole until sweet and tender.

Read the full shallot guide: preparation, cooking and storage

A slender, thin-skinned pepper usually mild, though an occasional one is hot. Blister quickly in a skillet and finish with salt.

Flat pea pods eaten whole while the seeds are small. Trim strings if present and cook briefly to retain their crunch.

A leafy herb and vegetable with a distinctly sour, lemony taste. Use in sauces, soups, or mixed salads; cooking turns its bright leaves olive-green.

A winter squash whose cooked flesh separates into strands. Roast or steam, then loosen the strands with a fork and dress lightly.

A tender leafy green with a mild, earthy flavor. Use raw in salads or cook briefly; it shrinks considerably as it wilts.

Plump edible pea pods containing sweet peas. Remove strings if needed; serve raw, steamed, or quickly stir-fried.

A sunflower tuber with a crisp texture and nutty flavor. Scrub well, then roast, sauté, or purée; it is unrelated to globe artichokes.

A sweet root with orange, white, or purple flesh, depending on variety. Roast, steam, mash, or bake; it is botanically distinct from a yam.

A leafy Asian green with dark, spoon-shaped leaves and a mild mustard flavor. Use in salads or briefly cook in stir-fries and soups.

A firm, tart fruit enclosed in a papery husk and used as a vegetable. Remove the husk, rinse, then roast or simmer for salsa.

Read the full tomatillo guide: preparation, cooking and storage

A juicy fruit used as a vegetable in savory cooking. Serve raw, roast, or simmer into sauces; plum types generally have less watery flesh.

A crisp root with a mildly peppery flavor. Small turnips can be delicate; roast, braise, mash, or slice thinly. The greens are also cooked.

The leafy tops of turnips, with a peppery, earthy flavor. Wash thoroughly, remove tough stems, and sauté or braise.

An aquatic corm with crisp white flesh that remains crunchy after cooking. Peel fresh ones, or use canned slices in stir-fries.

Yellow-podded snap beans with a flavor similar to green beans. Steam, sauté, or add to bean salads after cooking.

A large, mild gourd with pale flesh that absorbs broth flavors. Peel, remove the seeds, and simmer in soups or braises.

A starchy tuber from the Dioscorea group, distinct from sweet potatoes. Varieties differ; peel and cook edible market yams before serving.

Long, slender pods also called asparagus beans. Cut into lengths and stir-fry or braise; they have a firmer texture than many green beans.

A tender summer squash with a mild flavor. Sauté, grill, roast, or bake; small specimens usually have fewer seeds and firmer flesh.

Read the full zucchini (courgette) guide: preparation, cooking and storage