Cooking Greens You Can Easily Grow

If any vegetable has benefited from the resurgence of interest in horticulture, it is the group collectively known as "cooking vegetables."

While these vegetables may not be related to each other from a botanical point of view, they all share similar qualities in cooking.

Most are very easy to grow and many offer a long and consistent harvest season as well as freshly eaten vegetables. But cooking vegetables has more substance than their lettuce-like neighbors.

Many can be stored or frozen to eat in winter, and most can be planted in succession to further extend the harvest.

Here are a few vegetables that are great vegetables to cook with.

Asian greens (Brassica rapa var.)

Many of the Chinese and Asian vegetables of the Brassica rapa species are versatile and can be grown to eat fresh or to cook.

Probably the one we're most familiar with is bok choy, but tatsoi, napa cabbage, and several others make great side dishes as well.

Bok choy and napa cabbage require a longer growing season than loose-leaf vegetables, along with protection against common cabbage pests.

You can grow the faster maturing dwarf bok choy varieties and re-seed them directly in the garden every 2-3 weeks for a steady supply.

Collard Greens (Brassica oleracea var.)

Kale and Swiss chard are finally having their day in the sun and kale may well be the next big thing in vegetable cooking.

As easy to grow like the others, they are bulky plants with enough regrowth to keep you cooking. Don't feel like you have to boil them until they submit. Its sweet mustard flavor is best when tender.

Kale (Brassica oleracea var.)

Kale is packed with nutrients, low in calories, and full of flavor. It's quick to grow and cook, and there's a lot more variety than just the curly types in the produce aisle.

Kale is a great choice for cutting and harvesting and also for planting mid-season and late in the season. Plants can withstand early fall frosts and actually get a little sweeter with experience.

Sorrel (Rumex spp.)

Sorrel is a perennial plant that is grown for its lemon-flavored leaves. You can use fresh, tender, new sorrel leaves in salads and sandwiches, but it's a real treat when cooking.

The leaves can almost liquefy when cooked, giving a very distinct and mysterious flavor to dishes.

Swiss chard (Beta vulgaris)

Swiss chard is a vigorous grower that will continue to send new tender leaves throughout the season. You can start plants indoors a few weeks before the last frost date and start the season even earlier.

Like beets, chard seeds come in clusters, so expect to have to thin out young plants. Fortunately, the small leaves are also edible.

Additional greens

There are several plants in the garden that are grown for their roots or fruits, which also have deliciously edible greens.

You can have the best of both worlds if you harvest just a few leaves from each plant while they are still young and then let them grow and mature. Three favorites to try include:

• Beet greens
• Pea sprouts and tendrils
• Turnip tops

We hope you enjoy watching this video about 16 Leafy green salad vegetables you can grow right now:

Source: Learn Organic Gardening at GrowingYourGreens

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