Carol Ann Sayle

Risking sounding like "a broken record"—and I do remember the click click click of a 1950s phonograph needle repeatedly hitting the inevitable scratch mark on a well-loved record—I find myself suggesting to just about anyone who buys a vegetable that is connected to its greens to eat the leaves. Please.

That is my mantra, along with "eat the skins, the roots, and the stems," as I converse with customers in our farm stand. Generally most folks respond with disbelief. "You mean these are edible?"

Yes, and typically, they are just as, or more, nutritious as the vegetable they grew. Throwing the "extras" away, or even composting them, is a waste of potential health and money. Of course, if they are being shared with backyard hens, then that's okay ... But I want the customers to get the most nutrition and value from their purchases, and if they discard the stems and greens they won't.

Carol Ann Sayle

A lady will pick up a kohlrabi, asking, What in the world is this?, and then think, Well this is a lot to pay for just that cabbagey, alien hardball thing. But then I'll suggest that the greens, looking a lot like kale, are wonderful themselves, and suddenly, she is receiving a lot of food for her money.