Fresh, young and unblemished bamboo roots.
Fresh bamboo shoots can be stored in plastic bags in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. They can also be cooked then frozen.
Peel off the outer layer to reveal the core, which is typically sliced into thin strips before cooking. While it is not necessarily harmful to eat undercooked bamboo shoots, they are woody, bitter and difficult to digest.
Bright, crisp, young beans of uniform size free of blemish. Avoid mature beans with swollen pods.
Cover, refrigerate unwashed for up to five days.
Rinse. Break off and discard ends. Leave whole or cut.
Firm, uniform beets free of cracks or blemishes. Attached leaves should be deep green and fresh looking.
Refrigerate unwashed with stem and root attached, covered for up to 1 week.
Rinse, remove greens leaving 5 cm (2") of stem. To prevent colour loss, don't slice or cut before cooking. Cool cooked beets before removing roots, stems and skin.
Crisp and tight leaves with a solid head.
Store Belgian endives wrapped in a damp paper towel inside a plastic bag in the refrigerator for three to five days. Do not wash until ready to use. To preserve flavour, avoid exposure to light as much as possible.
The Belgian endive may be eaten baked, steamed, boiled, grilled or raw. Steaming is generally preferred to boiling as less water is retained by the tightly wrapped leaves. If boiling the endive, be sure to drain it well before serving.
Firm, unblemished melons from 5 to 12 inches in length. Choose melons that are still green for a more bitter flavour and choose yellow-orange melons for a milder taste.
Store melon loose in a paper or plastic bag in the refrigerator for 3 to 5 days. Slice the melon only immediately before use.
Cut in half and discard the seeds and fibrous core. To reduce the bitterness, blanch in boiling water for 2 to 3 minutes. The skin is edible and the melon is not typically peeled. Bitter melon is commonly stuffed, curried or pickled.
*Bitter melon is actually a fruit, but it is consumed as a veggie..
Choose firm bok choy stalks without brown spots and fresh leaves. Avoid wilting leaves.
Store bok choy in a plastic bag in the crisper section of your refrigerator for up to a week. Wash immediately before using.
Remove outer wilted leaves. Rinse, cut head in half lengthwise and remove core. Cut into wedges or shred. Boil, microwave, steam or stir fry.
The pods will look a little like giant green beans, long and plump, varying slightly in length, with some bronzing on the outside of the pod. The pods should be heavy, with just a hint of the rounded beans inside.
Place them in a plastic bag in the crisper section of the refrigerator right away. The pods will keep for five to seven days in the refrigerator.
Fava beans should be podded. Put the beans in a pan, cover with boiling water, return to the boil and cook for 3-5 minutes. Then drain, empty into cold water, slit each pod along its seam and run your thumb along the furry inside to push the beans out.
Firm stalks with compact green bud clusters. Avoid yellow florets.
Cover, refrigerate unwashed for up to five days.
Rinse. Trim main stem. Cut in florets.
Firm compact, fresh, bright green heads of uniform size.
Cover, refrigerate unwashed for up to five days.
Rinse. Trim stem end. For uniform cooking, cut a cross in bottom of the stem.
