weird vegetables

Alright, I m not making this one up, it is a real plant. The Monstera Deliciosa is a tropical plant that comes from southern Mexico and Panama. It is used more as a house plant than an edible plant, but its culinary uses are highly known. Monstera is a vigorous climbing vine with thick stems and heart shaped leaves sometimes up to 2 feet wide. It has a rather pungent odor that emits as the kernels ripen and pop off; once they do the sweet pineapple like flesh can be consumed. The blooms remind me of a giant Peace Lilly bloom.

Also known by the English name of calabash, of which it is an unusually shaped variant, dudhi (also spelled don t laugh! doody) is popular in Chinese stir fries and North Indian curries. It is pulpy and plain tasting, and one type sold in China is known as

Also called yard beans (for their three foot length) and snake beans, these legumes are used much the same way as green beans except they re a bit tougher, requiring longer boiling or steaming. The flavor is similar, and like green beans, long beans grow on a vine. They re eaten principally in Malaysia, China, and the West Indies.

Looking like a giant smooth potato, jicama is a tuberous root vegetable that originated in Mexico but was transmitted by the Spanish all over Asia during the colonial era. Five years ago it almost became a household word as jicama slaws began to appear on many menus; now, not so much. The beauty of this vegetable lies in its crunchy plainness, which makes it a nice addition to a salad.

Of the many alliums (onions, shallots, leeks, garlic, etc.) available in the farmers markets, these are the most obscure: the woody stem that a garlic bulb shoots up with a pinched white flower on top (several of these are visible in the photo). What to do with them? One entire stem is equivalent to a single clove of garlic, meaning the scapes are quite mild. They can be cut up and poached in soups, or ground up raw to make a very zingy pesto.

Also known as ridge gourd, this is the back scrubber beloved of hippies, and others for whom natural products are the only way to go. When young and tender, it tastes almost like zucchini, but as the fruit grows old and woody, the flesh melts away, leaving the abrasive skeleton. As a tender young vegetable, loofah is indispensable to Chinese and Indian cooking.

Yes, this leaf vegetable that looks like a blood spattered flower opening is a form of radicchio and has the slightly bitter taste associated with that popular salad green. This type of radicchio hails from the region around Venice (Italy, not California), and is occasionally available at fancier groceries that stock Italian products. Don t look for it in the Safeway.

Found in mangrove swamps in the United States, and elsewhere at random spots around the world, sea beans are also known as salicornia, and the French especially love them. This herb has a tiny fruit with a single seed and leaves that can barely be detected. The plant can tolerate salt water, which is why sea beans are most commonly seen in tidewater areas. They should be briefly steamed, then coated in butter.

Also known as Japanese mustard, kyona, potherb mustard or Japanese greens, mizuna is Japanese for

Every year, asparagus will be the first spring harvest out of your garden. An asparagus planting is an investment, as much as it a pleasure. Mary Washington is one of the old standard asparagus varieties that are consistent performer year after year. It is a well known variety that has a host of admirers and dedicated growers.