SPECIAL VEGETABLES FOR THE FALL (AND MAYBE WINTER) GARDEN

Those Vegetables for the Experimental and Fearless Gardeners

Jul 18, 2025

Edible chrysanthemum — the edible greens and the edible flowers

Tomatoes have only started to ripen in many gardens and here I am talking about moving on to a fall (+ winter?) vegetable garden. But this is, of course, the time to at least start thinking about the scheduling of a fall garden and some seeds will have to be sown indoors very soon.

To illustrate, I’d like to start with a VERY general calendar of sowing. It’s dependent on expected first serious frost and freeze and the number of days from sowing to maturity. Mild climate folk can certainly extend this (usually completely through winter), while those in the north will have to squeeze this (using the fastest maturing types and varieties).

This calendar covers the most common vegetables, plus just a few others, suited to fall growing. It’s meant only as a guideline for scheduling and to provide an idea of the types of things that can be planted for fall. After this calendar, I will present the many OTHER vegetables that fit in this calendar — they are the heart of this article and include many vegetables you probably don’t know.

LATE SUMMER — direct sowing

These are the “half-hardy” cool-season vegetables

Fennel, “bulbing”
Greens/leafy (fast-growing types such as lettuces, many Asian greens, spinach)
Potatoes (from “seed” potatoes)
Root vegetables (fast-growing types such as radishes, small carrot varieties, baby beets, baby turnips, baby kohlrabi)

LATE SUMMER (the “Transplantables”) — sowing indoors

These are the “hardy” cool-season vegetables — scheduled 4 to 6 weeks before transplanting in fall.

Broccoli
Brussels Sprouts
Cabbage (especially “winter cabbage” for winter)
Cauliflower
Chicories
Collards
Kohlrabi
Leeks
Onions (short-day types)

FALL — planting seedlings

The “Transplantables” (above)

FALL — direct sowing for late fall into winter harvest.

The “hardy” and “half-hardy” cool-season vegetables

Bok choi/Pak Choi
Carrot (long-season varieties)
Chard
Fava Bean
Kale
Lettuce
Pea
Radishes
Spinach

FALL — direct sowing for winter harvest (and even later)

Some of the “Hardiest” vegetables

Arugula/Rocket
Beet
Collards
Kale, Winter-hardy types
Mustard (most)
Onion (short-day types)
Parsnip
Radish (especially large types)
Rutabaga
Turnip

With the calendar now in mind, I’d like to move on to the adventurous part of this article.

Following are what I consider to be the less well-known cool-season vegetables, the new ones that have yet to find their niche, ethnic vegetables not known by Americans, or maybe they’re old-timers that have just “gone out of style” but deserve a comeback. I’m thinking that as a whole, they’re the “gaps” gardeners simply don’t see between the tomatoes and beans and corn and all those other commodity seeds that American seed companies market to American gardeners — because “that’s what the customers want.” These are the vegetables worth your “want.”

ARE YOU READY TO TRY THE SPECIAL VEGETABLES?

Consider this a checklist (☐) when you’re sitting down with the catalogs (or the computer with all the best seed companies as tabs on your front page).

☐ CELTUCE (Lactuca sativa var. angustana). Grown for its husky, tender stem. Although several varieties are listed in Asia, only one (unnamed) seems to be available in the United States. The stems are peeled and eaten raw or thinly sliced for stir-frys (as a last minute add; kinda like water chestnuts). It can also be pickled, grilled, or prepared in a salad. Celtuce taste is mild but a little nutty, with a slight smoky aftertaste. The hearts, too, can be eaten like small cos lettuce; they’re known as “a choy.”

Celtuce — in the garden and in the kitchen

CHICORIES (Cichorium endivia and C. intybus). Talk about a nomenclatural nightmare! Both the botanical names (and their horticultural iterations) and common names (exacerbated by the multitude of Italian renditions) are a right mess. Then there’s the tangled puzzle of variety names on seed packets, both American and Italian, with many American variety names simply re-namings, without reference, of Italian varieties. All of which made putting together this sub-entry an exasperating task. A future dissertation unto itself? No thanks.

Although almost always grown as annuals in the vegetable garden, almost all types of chicory can act like perennials when given optimum conditions. Of course that doesn’t apply to those types in which you harvest the whole plant, sometimes roots and all, but those that are the cut-and-come-again vegetables will last for many seasons.

☐ Leaf Chicory, Cutting Chicory (Cichorium intybus). These are the most primitive forms of the leafy type that originated with the wildflower, all of which maintain the bitterness of the ancestor. (Even the wild ancestor, with flowers of the bluest sky blue, is collected and eaten, especially in the Ligurian and Apulian regions.) The “broadleaf” types are beautiful lettuce-like vegetables while the upright types (Cichorium intybus var. foliosum) with very narrow, almost dandelion-like leaves and a thickened, tender “heart” are called puntarelle, cicoria di Catalogna, cicoria asparago, “Catalogna chicory,” “asparagus chicory,” or “Italian dandelion greens.” Confusingly (yeah, it’s all a muddle), some “Italian dandelion greens’ are this chicory while others are forms of radicchio.

☐ Escarole (Cichorium endivia var. latifolium). Also called Batavian chicory and pan di zucchero (Italian for “Sugarloaf,” another common name). A very mild chicory with a huge, swirling head of green, tightly-packed wavy leaves; looks like cos lettuce.

☐ Frisée, Riccia, Curly Endive (Cichorium endivia var. crispum). This is a very curly-frilly, finely-cut endive, popular in mixed salads. Also used as a base in the classic French “salade Lyonnaise,” with poached egg and bacon lardons.

☐ Radicchio, Red endive, Red chicory (Cichorium intybus). Usually has variegated red or red and green leaves, although some use the name radicchio only to the white-veined, red-leaved type.

☐ Belgian Endive (Cichorium intybus). In Flemish, it’s witloof (“white leaf”). Endive has a small head of cream-colored, bitter leaves. It is usually “field blanched,” whereby it is grown completely underground, covered under pots, or indoors in the absence of sunlight to prevent the leaves from turning green and opening up (which makes it more bitter). The plants are sometimes called chicons but that name is usually reserved for the nearly white (palest yellow) “buds” (in this case, plants) that have been field blanched.

☐ Root chicory (Cichorium intybus var. sativum). A long history of cultivation in Italy, where the wild species is native. In Liguria, this “Chiavari radish” is considered a “scorzonere” or “scorzamara,” one of the bitter-tasting “radishes” (edible roots). It is also, of course, the source of the famous coffee substitute (anybody still drink Postum?). Root chicory also has the highest measured source of inulin, a valuable prebiotic fiber.

SOME OTHER “SPINACHES.” Other than familiar spinach (Spinacia oleracea). All very easy when direct sown.

☐ Aztec spinach, Huauzontle, Quelites (Chenopodium berlandieri). Fast growing edible leaves but also produces edible flower buds (which has been called “Aztec broccoli”) and edible seeds. Easy to grow even in poorest soils.

☐ Mountain spinach or Orache (Atriplex hortensis). Resembles lamb’s quarters. Grow this one fast and furious with consistent watering; it develops a chewiness and a bit of bitterness if water stressed. Forms with red leaves, “Rubra,” are called red mountain spinach, of course.

☐ Strawberry spinach (Blitum [Chenopodium] capitatum). Also known as blite goosefoot, strawberry goosefoot, Indian paint, and Indian ink. The leaves taste a bit like spinach but the edible fruit (the “berries”) taste nothing like strawberries; more mulberry-textured and corn-flavored.

☐ Perpetual Spinach, Spinach beet (Beta vulgaris ssp. vulgaris convar. cicla var. cicla). Grown for its leaves that can be eaten like spinach. Somewhat like red chard but smaller, less stemmy, and more perennial in habit. ‘Erbette’ is an heirloom Italian variety.

☐ Beet greens (from Beta vulgaris ssp. vulgaris convar. vulgaris var. vulgaris Conditiva Group [that’s a mouthful!]), by the way, are from any beet but some are leafier than others. They are very similar, of course, to “Perpetual Spinach.”

SALAD GREENS – Some Uncommon Types

A generic name given to several types of leafy vegetables that are used raw in salads, sandwiches, or for snacking. All of these have a higher nutritional content than lettuce. Most often, the darker the leaves are, the higher the nutritional content.

☐ Arugula/Rocket (Eruca sativa). Aka rucola and Italian cress. There are two plants grown as arugula. The much more common is the annual species, Eruca versicaria. Much less common but gaining popularity, especially among the epicureans and permaculturists, is the perennial “sylvetta” (wild) Diplotaxis tenuifolia (aka Rucola sylvestris, Eruca selvática). Fairly well known by chefs and cooks, not all that common among gardeners yet.

☐ Cress, Garden (Lepidium sativum). Also known as common cress, curly cress, or simply cress. Tangy, peppery salad green or herb. Super-fast to harvest, with cuttable greens in two weeks. Hence, best to make successive sowings (short rows) every one to two weeks

☐ Cress, Upland (Barbarea verna). Southerners call it “creasy greens” (the phrase “creasy greens” is thought to have originated from the marketing cry of cress sellers in England and the dialect, with cress-y changing to “creasy,” carried over with settlers to the U.S.) This is a biennial that is sown in late summer or early fall to produce a good clump of foliage going into winter. It stretches and blooms the following spring. It taste a bit like watercress.

☐ Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale var. sativum). Dandelions have been grown for eating for centuries. In that time, selections have been made for larger leaves and less bitterness and methods have been developed to make the leaves even less bitter and more tender. That method is called “field blanching” and involves covering, in some way, the foliage for a while before harvest. Among the many culinary varieties are ‘Amélioré à Coeur Plein’, ‘Arlington’, ‘Pissenlit Amélioré Géant à Forcer’, ‘Vert de Montmagny’, and, in the U.S., offered simply as “French,” “Broad Leaved Dandelion,” or “Improved Thick-Leaved Dandelion.” Grow these in a perennial bed and keep flowers picked off (either eat them or dispose of them). This dandelion is not to be confused with “Italian dandelion greens,” which are a group of Chicories.

☐ Mâche (Valerianella locusta). Sometimes called corn salad. A popular salad/garnish item in Europe but not much used in the U.S. A super-easy annual that will last through fall and winter in milder zones and bloom in spring (as warmth comes on). It happily volunteers in most gardens but do keep an eye on it — you just may get inundated with it.

☐ Minutina (Plantago coronopus). Also called “herba stella” and buck’s horn. Short-lived perennial that grows more like a biennial but is usually grown as an annual. Small plant with rosette of slender green leaves that lingers through even cold winters. It is a bit succulent and has a nutty, sweet, and sometimes a pleasantly salty flavor. It’s a good companion in most salads, soups, or roasted vegetable dishes. Fairly quick to harvest: 50 days. Will regrow after cutting, but best to sow successionally (every couple of weeks).

☐ Mustard, White (Sinapis alba). Not to be confused with common large-leafed mustards. Although the foliage is somewhat edible, this one is grown for its seeds that are used to make the condiment mustard as well as used in pickling and toasted for flavoring lots of Indian dishes. The seeds are harvested just before the seed pods reach the ripe-bursting stage. For making mustard, grind the seeds with vinegar, turmeric, salt, paprika, garlic, onion, and maybe a squeeze of honey into a paste.

☐ Shepherd’s Purse (Capsella bursa-pastoris). A very common and pernicious weed in so many gardens. It is, however, cultivated in many Asian countries (where it is native), including and especially China, where it is known as jìcài. It has a place in an important dish during the Japanese spring-time festival of Nanakusa-no-sekku. It is known as naengi in Korea and used a dish called namul (fresh greens and wild vegetables).

☐ Sorrel, French (Rumex scutatus). French sorrel (“oseille” in French), is primarily used in salads, soups (especially potage crème d'oseille), and sauces, but magnifique in scrambled eggs and omelettes, as well. It’s tart (from the oxalic acid content, a bit more than spinach), with a lemony nuance (hence, good with seafood). If not harvested early — especially if heat comes on — it can become bitter. It’s a short-lived perennial at best, best grown as a quick annual (to be harvested before it goes to seed). This is the milder tasting of the two commonly used sorrels for cooking.

COOKING GREENS – Some Uncommon Types

☐ Agretti, Roscano, or Barba Di Frate (“Friars Beard”). (Soda inermis [formerly Salsola soda]). Agretti is Italian for “little sour one.” A tiny annual plant, with somewhat succulent leaves. Will grow in ordinary garden soil but grows happily in coastal, salty sand, as well (maybe too well — it’s invasive in coastal northern California including the San Francisco Bay Area).

☐ Edible Chrysanthemum (Glebionis [Chrysanthemum] coronaria). Additional common names for this plant in the culinary world include garland chrysanthemum, chrysanthemum greens, chop suey greens, and Japanese greens. In Korean cuisine, the plant is called ssukgat. In Chinese cuisine, it is called tong ho choy in Cantonese, and tóng hāo cài in Mandarin; commonly used in stir-frys, soups, and hotpots. In Japanese cuisine, it is called shungiku (“spring chrysanthemum”) and the green leaves and soft stems are used in tempura, sukiyaki, and shabu-shabu. In Vietnamese cuisine, the greens are known as cải cúc or tần ô. Even the edible flower petals are used to garnish soups and salads. [See photo at very top of article.]

IMPORTANT: buy seed from an Asian seed company. Plants grown from seed sold as “ornamental” (for the flowers) are usually too bitter.

☐ Komatsuna (Brassica rapa var. perviridis). A “spinach mustard” or “mustard spinach.” Related to broccoli raab. Sweet, kale-like, and with thickened stems. One distinct variety “Red Komatsuna” with bronze-red leaves. The variety ‘Uguisu’ is known for its bolt resistance and tolerance of both cold and hot temperatures.

☐ Land Seaweed (Salsola komarovii). In Japan, it’s called okahijiki, which means “land seaweed.” Looks a bit like seaweed, hence the name. Eaten raw in salads, but better steamed or blanched briefly. Although they are naturally happiest in coastal salty sand, they will grow fine in ordinary, even lean garden soil.

☐ Maruba Santoh (Brassica rapa ssp. chinensis Pekinensis Group). Fast-growing, small, rounded, loosely cabbage-like, with flat white stems. Mildly piquant mustardy flavor. Almost-succulent leaves stand up well to stir-frying.

☐ Mibuna (Brassica rapa var. laciniifolia subvar. oblanceolate). An easy and extraordinarily fast small Asian mustard (light mustard flavor). So fast and dense-growing, it can be used as a cover crop for weed suppression.

☐ Misome (Komatsuna X Tatsoi). Tolerant of both high and cold temperatures. Fast growing (you can harvest in just 30 days). Perfect for stir-frying — tender yet a bit crispy, with a mild, nutty mustard flavor.

☐ Mizuna (Brassica rapa var. nipposinica). Aka Japanese mustard greens. Fast growing. Mild peppery taste, similar to arugula. Best cooked, commonly in stir-frys, but can be used for salads when harvested young.

☐ Senposai is a cross between Japanese mustard spinach (komatsuna) and cabbage but looks more like small collard greens (albeit tasting of lettuce). Equally easy and fast. Large tender leaves and quite heat tolerant.

Many of the vegetable types and/or varieties mentioned in this article are “Kyoyasai.” Starting in the 1970s, Japan became concerned about the westernization of the traditional diet of Japan that had begun after WW2. One specific worry was the loss of traditional vegetables to the influx of western commodity types. Officials in Kyoto prefecture began working on a plan to protect many of those traditional vegetables from extinction. In 1989, these “heirloom” varieties were officially branded “Kyoyasai” (very much like the Italian DOP — “Denominazione di Origine Protetta” or Protected Designation of Origin — certifications). Only varieties that originated prior to 1868 and are grown in the Kyoto prefecture under strict environmentally-friendly practices are eligible for this Kyoyasai branding.
Some of the Kyoyasai vegetables — types and/or varieties:
Tsukena (leaf brassicas) — Hatakena, Mibuna, Mizuna
Hanana or Nabana — ‘Seto no Haru’
Komatsuna (Japanese Mustard Spinach) — ‘Uguisu-na’
Carrot — ‘Kintoki’ (red)
Cowpea — ‘Hiiragino-sasage’
Cucumber — ‘Fushimi-ama’, ‘Katsura’, ‘Shogoin-fushinari’
Eggplant — ‘Kamo-nasu’, ‘Mogi-nasu’, ‘Yamashina-nasu’
Japanese Radish — ‘Aomi’, ‘Karami’, ‘Kuki’, ‘Momoyama’, ‘Sabaga, ‘Shogoin’, ‘Tokinashi’
Pickling Melon — ‘Katsura-uri’
Pumpkin — ‘Shishigatani-kabocha’
Sweet Pepper — ‘Fushimi’, ‘Manganji’, ‘Tanaka’
Turnip — ‘Maizuru’, ‘Matsugasakiukina’, ‘Ohuchi’, ‘Sbaga’, ‘Sugukina’, ‘Syogoin’
Neji (Welsh Onion) — ‘Kujo’

☐ Tokyo Bekana (Brassica juncea or B. rapa chinensis). This is possibly the most graceful looking of all cabbages. It looks like a wing-topped romaine lettuce. The flavor is that of a sweet mustard. Fast growing. These can be treated as a cut-and-come-again crop when allowed to get about three to four inches high.

☐ FENNEL (Foeniculum vulgare Azoricum Group or F. vulgare var. azoricum). This is the “bulb” type, actually an above-ground swollen stem, and probably more specifically known as Florence fennel. “Finocchio” (rhymes with the puppet) in Italian, “finocchiu” (pronounced fi-NOY-que) in Sicilian. Often sold in stores as “anise” (but not the real “anise”) probably because it has a similar anise-y taste. Fennel seeds and the herb fennel come from a different Group: F. v. Neopolitanum Group. Bulb fennel (the lower part of the plant becomes a swollen mass of overlapping stem bases; there is no true “bulb”) takes a while to develop and it must have even moisture and cool weather during that time. It will take many frosts but no serious freezing temperatures.

BROCCOLIS – Some Uncommon Types (Brassica oleracea miscellaneous Groups/Hybrids). Not your typical broccoli.

☐ Spigariello (Brassica oleracea Italica group). Also spelled spigarello. Alternate names: leaf broccoli; spigariello liscio, cima di rape spigariello, and cavolo broccolo spigariello; in Napoli, it’s friarielli. Taste like a very mild broccoli raab or more kale-like as with gai lan*. Leaf shapes vary among varieties.

*The flower color of this plant suggests that spigariello might be more closely related to Brassica oleracea Alboglabra Group, that which includes Chinese broccoli/Gai lan, rather than the B. o. Italica Group (traditional broccoli). Maybe a primitive broccoli x kale hybrid?!

☐ Sprouting Broccoli (sometimes considered Brassica oleracea convar. botrytis var. asparagoides). It’s a broccoli that produces numerous side-shoots with smaller florets and does so over a long period (hence why it’s often referred to as “perennial broccoli,” albeit not long lived). There are white, purple, and green forms. The varieties ‘Apollo’, ‘De Cicco’, and ‘Nine Star’, if kept harvested and watered well, can produce for two or three years. ‘Nine Star’ is sometimes called “Nine Star Broccoli.”

BROCCOLI-KALE HYBRIDS

☐ Broccolini (“Tenderstem broccoli,” broccoletto) a cross between broccoli and “gai lan” (Chinese broccoli/kale). Gai lan lends its smaller heads and characteristic tender stem to the mix. There is a purple form.

☐ Brokali. Another cross between typical (Calabrese) broccoli and Chinese broccoli/kale (gai lan). This one even huskier stemmed than gai lan or broccolini, yet still tender. Smaller upper leaves and larger heads than either.

☐ ‘Purple Peacock.’ A broccoli x kale hybrid. This one has small heads like broccolini but bigger edible leaves that are more kale-like.

CAULIFLOWER (Brassica oleracea Botrytis Group). In addition to common white cauliflower, there are the Colored Forms:

☐ Green — Green cauliflower (could be Brassica oleracea var. botrytis × italica) is sometimes called “broccoflower” and marketed as some rare hybrid, which it is not. Varieties include ‘Alverda’, ‘Cimone’, ‘Green Goddess’, and ‘Vorda’.

☐ Orange — contains 25 times the level of vitamin A of white cauliflower. Varieties include ‘Cheddar’ and ‘Orange Bouquet’.

☐ Purple — beautiful and extra nutritious with its purple antioxidants. Varieties include ‘Graffiti’, ‘Purple of Sicily’, and ‘Purple Cape’.

☐ Romanesco — Although a cauliflower, it’s commonly called a “broccoli.” Chartreuse in color, a highly geometric conical formation (Fibonacci math) of the head. Varieties include ‘Minaret’, ‘Precoce’, ‘Puntoverde’, ‘Veronica’, and ‘Whitaker’. This cauliflower type has really caught on in recent years.

☐ Green-stem Cauliflower — an Asian type with an open “head” and longer stems (“handles for dipping?”) to the florets. ‘Song TJS-65’ may be the only variety available. Quicker to harvest, more tolerant of poor conditions. Also known as sweet stem, soft curd, or loose curd cauliflower; one marketer calls is “caulilini.”

CHINESE CABBAGES (Brassica rapa ssp. pekinensis)

☐ Pekinensis Group -- These “loose-headed” types include the so-called “fluffy tops” (which look very much like lettuces) and “savoy-leafed” open-headed cabbages; often called “napa cabbage.” These cabbages have broad green leaves with white stalks/ribs tightly wrapped in a cylindrical formation and usually forming a compact head.

☐ One supposed hybrid that probably fits in the Pekinensis Group is what is known as the Taiwanese cabbage or flat cabbage. It looks like a typical American \cabbage but it is oblate (roundish and flattened from top to bottom; sort of like a very large curling stone). In comparison to regular green cabbage, Taiwanese cabbage is sweeter and more tender, albeit still with a nice crunch. This is the type of cabbage most often used in Asian stir-frys. Look for ‘KY Cross’.

☐ Chinensis Group -- These varieties do not form dense heads; instead, they have smooth, dark green (sometimes white) leaf blades forming a cluster reminiscent of mustard or celery. Winter-hardy. Includes Bok Choi/Pak Choi. There are three sizes of this choy: small, medium, and large. Large refers to the straight-upright forms with very thick white stems; it’s chopped before cooking. The medium-sized forms are the most common in U.S. markets and the most common when ordering a bok choy dish in a Chinese restaurant; it’s usually steamed and sauced. The smaller, almost round ones, the “baby bok choys,” are specialty items sold in Asian markets but occasionally find their way into regular supermarkets; they are fast growing.

☐ Tatsoi (B. rapa var. rosularis [atrovirens]). A cabbage-mustard bearing rosettes of dark green leaves that lay almost flat to the ground. It has a mild, slightly sweet flavor, maybe spinach-y, with just a hint of mustard-like spiciness. Harvest young for mixed salads (“mesclun”) or use older leaves in stir-frys and soups.

☐ KOHLRABI (Brassica oleracea Gonglylodes group ). A cabbagey plant with a swollen basal stem. Although the “bulb” is usually all that is eaten, all parts are edible (leaves, skinnier stems, and yes, even the roots. Can be eaten raw, lightly blanched, stewed, stir-fried, roasted, baked (especially when stuffed!), pickled, and, as Yul Brynner in “The King and I” said, etc., etc., etc. I’ve seen this vegetable a gazillion times in supermarkets and not once have I seen anyone buy some. Am I the only one?

SPECIAL KALES

☐ Collards (Brassica oleracea var. viridis) x Dinosaur kale (above) hybrid. Pretty much every Southern gardener and cook knows collards (basically a large-leafed kale). And pretty much every cook who’s into “greens” knows lacinato (dinosaur) kale. The Heirloom Seedhouse, in Portland, Oregon, has produced “Seedhouse Grex,” an intriguing hybrid (collards x lacinato kale) strain (almost landrace) that produces a good deal of variation. Take a look here for their offer and description. [No, I am not associated with their business.]

☐ Dinosaur kale (Brassica oleracea var. palmifolia). Also called “Lacinato,” “Tuscan kale,” “cavolo nero,” “nero di Toscana, and palm tree kale (“chou palmier;” it looks most like a palm tree when you routinely harvest the lower leaves, leaving behind a “trunk”). It’s actually only a cousin to the other kales, being more closely related to collards. Its long leaves are rumbled and curled under at the edges.

☐ Ethiopian Kale (Brassica carinata). Also known as Abyssinian mustard, garlic kale, “habesha,” and “texsel greens.” Quick-growing kale for fall sowing but because it is more heat tolerant than other kales, it is also suited to spring sowing. Ruffly, emerald leaves have a mild sweet and spicy flavor with very little bitterness. There is one variety for gardens, ‘Texsel’, which may simply be a label taken from one of its common names (“texsel greens”). This species is possibly an ancient hybrid cross between cabbage (Brassica oleracea) and black mustard (Brassica nigra), hence its “savoriness.”

☐ “Kalettes.” A recent hybrid between kale and Brussels sprouts. Like miniature pink-tinged, crispy savoy cabbages on a stubby stalk. Sweet and nutty.

☐ Marrow-Stem Kale (Brassica oleracea var. medullosa). Also called “chou moëllier.” Akin to collards but with somewhat ruffled leaves and 3-foot stems. The variety ‘Proteor’, maybe the only variety available, is edible and somewhat ornamental.

☐ Perpetual Kale, Tree Kale (Brassica oleracea var. ramosa). Sometimes known as “Tree Collards” or, in the case of the purple-leafed forms, “Purple Tree Collards” (e.g., ‘Richmond’s Purple’). Propagated by cuttings; seeds are rare (“Homesteader's Kaleidoscopic” is a seed strain mix of colored-leaf forms and “Cottager’s” is a green-leafed seed strain with some perennial types and some annual types mixed in).

☐ “Portugal Cabbage” (Brassica oleracea var. costata). Also called Portuguese kale, “tronchuda,” “couve tronchuda,” or seakale cabbage. A close relative of collards, commonly grown in Portugal and Brazil. Plants are very large and vigorous with very large leaves. A near-perennial cabbagey-kale plant in most zones. Tolerant of some heat as well as hard frosts. Leaves are harvested individually. Possible precursor to gai lan (Chinese broccoli). Varieties ‘Galega de Folhas Lisas’ and ‘Tronchuda Beira’ are similar, if not identical, to each other.

“SPROUTING” KALES

☐ Broccoli Raab or Rapini (Brassica rapa Broccoletto group; the “flowering-headed turnips”). More accurately “cimi di rapa” (literally “turnip tops”), but also called broccoletto. “Rapini” generally refers to the over-wintered plants, those harvested in winter or earliest spring (in mild winter areas, of course). Leaves, stems, and flower buds are edible. The flavor is nutty (almond?), bitter, and a bit sharp/tangy. Used throughout southern Italy, from Rome into Sicily, where it’s sautéed or braised simply, with olive oil and garlic, used in soups, cooked in or as a side to pasta, or, my favorite, served with a good, Italian sausage, especially a “hot” kind.

☐ Chinese broccoli, Gai lan (Brassica oleracea Alboglabra Group or B. o. var. alboglabra). A sweet, thick-stemmed kale; broccoli-like but more leaf than head. All parts of this plant are edible; even the roots.

☐ Choy sum (Brassica rapa ssp. chinensis Parachinensis group). Also called pak choi sum and Chinese flowering cabbage. Smallish, upright plants; young, near-flowering shoots are eaten, commonly in soups, stir-frys, or simply blanched and then maybe sauced.

☐ Nabana or, in Kyoto, Hanana (Brassica rapa var. nippo-oleifera), a Japanese Brassica vegetable cultivated for its edible young inflorescences and stalks. A hint of kale-like bitterness. Dozens of cultivars exist, many of which are found in Asian specialty seed catalogs.

MUSTARDS (Brassica juncea)

Leaf Mustards (Integrifolia Group):

☐ Japanese (Giant Red) Mustard. Large, crape-like reddish-purple leaves. Quite ornamental. Mildly flavored in the baby leaf stage but gaining some spice at maturity. Often sold by the variety name of ‘Miike Purple’ or variations thereof.

☐ Korean Red Mustard. Also known as jeok gat, Korean mustard greens, brown mustard. Purple red leaves, spicy; traditionally added to kimchi but also stir-frys. Not to be confused with gyeoja (Korean hot mustard), the condiment.

☐ Snow Mustard (or hsueh li hung, gai choi, “green in snow” mustard, serifon). Upright, long, pale green. Very winter hardy. Heirloom. Good “mustard flavor” with slight spiciness.

Head Mustard, Wrapped Heart Mustard (“dai gai choy”)

☐ Gai Choy. Also known as “swatow.” Hefty crinkled leaves with broad, firm midribs that curl inward to form a fairly tight head. Only one type/variety seems to be available: “Kekkyu Takana.”

Large-petiole Mustards (Tsatsai Group) Chinese Mustard (gai choi).

☐ Cha Tsoi. Also called “stem mustard” or “horned mustard.” Thick leaves, very thick leaf midribs. Leafs are used as is mustard greens. The thickened midribs/stems are used to make pickles (“zhacai”).

LEAF CELERY (Apium graveolens Secalinum Group or Apium graveolens var. secalinum)

Includes Chinese Celery (nan ling celery), which is a group of cultivars/varieties/strains grown in East Asian countries for their edible, flavorful stalks and leaves; and Smallage or simply, “leaf celery,” a plant more often used as an herb than a vegetable.

☐ Chinese Celery differs from the common supermarket celery in that it has shorter, curved, hollow, and much thinner stalks. Unlike familiar celery where most cooks throw the leafy part away, the stalks AND the leaves of Chinese celery are used in cooking. This celery is also never field-blanched (to whiten and tenderize the stalks) as is common, western celery. Easy to grow with a little extra moisture.

☐ Smallage, also known as wild celery, in the U.K., and soup celery; it also picked up the common name of “par-cel” based on a variety name given to it back in the 80s by a Dutch seedsman (it was a marketing idea to indicate it looked something like a cross between parsley and celery). The name smallage is considered “archaic.” It’s stems are considerably shorter and thinner than the familiar celery and Chinese celery but it has larger leaves, it’s main reason for use (still attached to the stems, they are used for flavoring various dishes). Leaves are also useful for adding a sweet sharpness to mixed salads (as in “mesclun”). An easy biennial, usually harvested before it puts out flowers in the following spring. This plant is also THE source of celery seed, should you want it to go into its bloom and seed phase.