SURPRISING VEGETABLES YOU DIDN'T KNOW YOU COULD EAT

You can find many other countries using the odds and ends of plants like chard stalks, watermelon seeds, and leek greens in their everyday cooking.

These delicious plant “scraps”—that you’re probably already growing in your garden—deserve a place in your kitchen beyond the veggie stock pot or the compost bin.

Before you toss those leaves aside out of habit, see if they make the list here.

Leek tops

01.

Cook leek tops as you would onions: tossed in oil over a medium flame until they’re soft and fragrant.

02.

Strip the tender carrot leaves off the tougher stems and finely chop them into soups and salads, or scatter them over pasta and rice. They’re especially good in minestrone or any rustic vegetable soup as a garnish.

Carrot tops

03.

Cook them as you would a sturdy green like kale or collards. Their mild flavor makes them ideal for sautés, stir-fries, braises, and soups where they won’t overwhelm the rest of the dish.

Broccoli leaves

04.

You can eat the leaves of spring and summer radishes as well as winter radishes (like daikon, watermelon radish, or Black Spanish radish).

Radish tops

The tender stems and leaves are both edible. They’re silky like spinach and wilt beautifully when cooked. Heat brings out their sweetness, so toss them into a soup, sauté, or stir-fry, by themselves or with other vegetables.

05.

Sweet potato leaves

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