Vegetables

Leafy Vegetables

Easily grown, leafy vegetables contain more vitamins and minerals and fewer calories than many other vegetables. Most can be enjoyed fresh or cooked and come in a variety of colors, textures and flavors. Lettuces, cabbage and spinach varieties can be harvested in spring and fall in warmer climates, though some chards and collards are more heat tolerant and can be harvested most of the growing season. When selecting leafy greens, look for crisp, turgid leaves and rich color. For cooking greens, select those with small midribs for less bitterness.

Examples: Brussels sprouts, cabbage, chard, collards, cress, dandelions, endive, kale, lettuce, mustard, New Zealand spinach, bok choi, parsley, radicchio, spinach, watercress.

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Cruciferous Vegetables

Named for their flower heads, which are all cross-shaped, cruciferous vegetables include members of the cabbage family, such as broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, bok choy and kale, but also include rutabagas and turnips. These vegetables contain cancer-fighting components such as glucosinolates, indoles and isothiocyanates. According to the American Institute for Cancer Research, laboratory studies have suggested that cruciferous vegetables help regulate the body’s complex system of enzymes that defend against cancer, and components of these vegetables have shown the ability to stop or reduce growth of cancer cells, including lung, liver, colon and reproductive cancers. Diets rich in these vegetables can also lower risk for prostate and bladder cancer.

When selecting these vegetables, look for large, firm plants with densely-packed flowering heads (broccoli and cauliflower) and dark green color in the leaves. Avoid those with yellowed or discolored leaves. These vegetables are great fresh, sautéed or steamed, and freeze well in many recipes.

Root Vegetables

Easy on the pocketbook and rich in flavor, root vegetables provide a wealth of dietary fiber and nutrients, and are a welcome addition to soups, stews and stir-fry dishes. Sweet potatoes pack more beta-carotene than any other vegetable, including carrots! White potatoes, carrots and onions now come in every color and variety imaginable. Be adventurous and try something new, such as Beta Sweet purple carrots or blue potatoes. Their rich colors add high levels of anthocyanins and carotenoids. When selecting root vegetables, don’t forget turnips, rutabagas and parsnips—these underappreciated beauties add zing and color to everyday dishes, and many have cancer-fighting properties as well.

When selecting root vegetables, look for good color and firmness. Avoid roots with bruising, soft spots or signs of shriveling or cracking. If greens are attached, they should be fresh looking, not wilted. The greens draw moisture from the root, so remove them promptly before preparation or storage.

Fresh Beans and Peas

Beans and peas may be harvested at different times depending on how they are to be used. When bean pods are edible and the seeds inside immature, they can be used as snap beans; similarly, pea varieties such as sugar snap and snow peas are best used whole when young. Some bean varieties are used as shell or dry beans. All varieties of beans are rich sources of minerals, protein, fiber and lysine.

Beans contain two types of fiber helpful in protecting us from Diabetes, Cardiovascular Disease and some cancers: insoluble fiber helps keep blood sugar content stable and promotes intestinal regularity (although it can also produce gas)—soluble fiber helps lower LDL-cholesterol and protect the heart.

Beans and peas come in a stunning variety of colors and types. When selecting snap beans and edible pod peas, look for firm, crisp pods with underdeveloped seeds—the younger the better.

Corn

There isn’t another vegetable quite like corn, which not only packs a ton of nutrients into each kernel (including thiamin, niacin, folate, phosphorus, fiber and protein), but can also be made into other useful products, such as packing peanuts, printer’s ink, even ethanol fuel. The pigments in yellow corn, lutein and zeaxanthin, also protect the macula of the eye. Macular degeneration is the leading cause of blindness in the elderly.

When selecting corn at a farm market, look for ears that are fresh-picked daily. The longer the corn sits around, the faster its sugars turn to starch. The ears should be well-rounded and heavy, with dark green, firm husks. Avoid corn that has already been shucked…you don’t know how long it’s been there!

For great-tasting, naturally sweet corn that doesn’t require butter or salt, try baking the corn in the husk. Preheat oven to 325 degrees, and prepare corn by removing all but the lighter, inner layer of leaves closest to the kernels. Snap off the stem end, and twist off the silk tops. Soak the corn in fresh water for at least 30 minutes, then stack in no more than 2 layers in a 13X9 inch baking pan and bake for 20-30 minutes. The husks may brown and shrivel slightly. Serve immediately. When the husks are removed, the silks inside will slide right off with them, leaving a clean, hot cob of corn ready to eat—crunchy and sweet—no dressing necessary!

Vine Vegetables

Cucumbers, summer squash, winter squash and melons are examples of vine crops, as are tomatoes and some bean and pea varieties. Each source offers a rich variety of nutrients and minerals, and offers a smorgasbord of textures, flavors and colors from which to choose.

Tomatoes need a chapter all to themselves. Nothing beats a fresh, juicy tomato for mouth-tingling flavor and texture. Rich in Vitamin C, tomatoes are also a great source of the cancer-fighting carotenoid, lycopene. Because tomatoes have such high water content, they provide more absorbable lycopene in a cooked or processed state than raw. Sauces and paste provide a more concentrated source of lycopene. The good news is that a little oil also helps us absorb carotenoids better, so sautéing these summer beauties or incorporating them into other dishes with a drizzle of your favorite vegetable oil is a flavorful way to reap their healthful benefits.

Summer Squash, such as yellow crookneck, pattypan and zucchini, play an important role in our summer diets, although some varieties are available year round in many places. Tender and sweet when picked young, summer squash are rich in dietary fiber but low in calories and can be eaten either cooked or raw. They make a great, colorful addition to salads, casseroles and omelets. When selecting summer squash, look for smooth, shiny skin without cuts or blemishes, and a firm, un-shriveled appearance. The smaller the better…larger squash tend to have larger seeds and tougher skin. Specimens should be heavy for their size, as lightweight squash can have underdeveloped, pithy flesh.

Winter Squash, unlike their summer cousins, just get better with age. With a tough outer skin and dense flesh, pumpkins, acorn squash, Hubbard and Butternut provide a rich source of dietary fiber and beta-carotene (the more orange the flesh, the higher the beta-carotene content). Just one cup of cooked Butternut or Hubbard squash provides almost 150 percent of our daily Vitamin A requirement. Winter squashes keep for long periods (3 months or more) if kept in a cool, dry environment. Avoid storage in the refrigerator, as this will considerably shorten their shelf life. When selecting winter squash, look for rich color and a firm, hard skin. Green acorn squash should be a deep, dull green, with few (if any) yellow spots or patches. A shiny skin indicates the acorn was picked too young, and will not be as sweet and dense as a mature specimen. Butternuts should be smooth and have a deep, even color. The skin should be free of cracks or soft spots. All winter squash should feel heavy for their size.

Melons, such as watermelon, cantaloupe, casaba, and honeydews, are actually members of the squash family. They provide a sweet, high-moisture snack that is low in calories, like summer squash, but resemble winter squash for nutrient value. Red watermelons are another source of lycopene, and the orange flesh of the cantaloupe is a good source of beta-carotene. Selecting a ripe melon can be a challenge, but look for specimens that have a lighter color on one side. With cantaloupes, for instance, the part of the melon that touches the ground should show a light straw or yellow color. People often sniff cantaloupes to test for ripeness. These melons, often called muskmelon, should smell sweet and inviting when ripe. Another method used by many to select a ripe melon is “thumping.” Mark Twain once said that a green melon says “pink” when thumped, and a ripe one says “punk.”