Mixed beets with beet leaves © Michelle Mattern Beets are a root vegetable whose tubers are round with a high sugar content. Typically, one thought of beets as red, inside and out, and round. Now there are varieties that are tapered, white, yellow and even striped, such as the new chiogga beet. Sugar beets, which…
Greens
Collard Greens
Collard Greens © Denzil Green Collard Greens, along with Kale, are one of the oldest members of the cabbage family. Collard is a “loose leaf” cabbage: its dark green leaves don’t form a tight, compact head. The plant is biennial. If unharvested, it will live through the winter and flower in its second year. The…
Greens with Chestnuts and Bacon Recipe
You can use any kind of greens you like: mustard, beet, chard, etc. Good as a side to meat or pork.
Horseradish Greens
Horseradish Greens are the aboveground tops of Horseradish Plants. They have a bit of a bite to them, but nothing close to the bite that the root does. The young leaves are the best to use, when they are 3 inches long or less (7.5 cm.) Their flavour is quite mild. Larger than that, they…
Kale
Kale © Denzil Green Though a member of the cabbage family, Kale is a “loose leaf” cabbage. Its leaves don’t curl inwards, they sprout upwards and outwards. Its close cousin, Cavolo Nero (aka Palm Cabbage), also grows like this. There are many varieties of Kale; the leaf colour will vary by variety. The leaves may…
Kilt Lettuce Recipe
A recipe from the American south.
Kohlrabi
Kohlrabi © Michelle Mattern Kohlrabi is a member of the cabbage family that is treated as a root vegetable. It is a cabbage with an enlarged, turnip-shaped stem which is referred to as a bulb. The bulb grows above ground, just on the surface of the soil. With the stems sticking out of the bulb,…
Mustard Greens
Mustard Greens can be taken from black, brown or white mustard seed plants. Usually though, it is brown mustard plants that are purposefully grown for their greens, because the leaves from black and white mustard plants are quite small and skimpy. The plants grow very fast; the leaves are usually ready to pick about 30…
Pot Likker
Pot likker is the broth or liquid left over after boiling or braising cooking “greens” (leafy green vegetables.) Though many other cultures discard this, it is used and even prized by many in the American South. Usually it is poured over cornbread or cornbread is dunked in it to sop it up. Some people even…
Turnip Greens
Turnip Greens are the above ground leaves of Turnip. The leaves are smaller and more tender than Collard. If you are growing your own, wait till they are about 3 inches tall (7.5 cm.) When harvesting, the bottom leaves tend to be bitter; leave those behind. Among the best varieties of Turnips for greens are…