Chinese kale, or gai lan. In Minnesota we call them ground cherries and eat them by the bushel, happily oblivious to the fact that the rest of the country knows them as cape gooseberries, if they know them at all. Ground cherries, which grow concealed in pretty paper-lantern like husks, have the texture of figs and a sweet taste, perfect for eating fresh or turning into jams, chutneys, or salsas. Napa cabbage, Chinese cabbage, wong bok, and celery cabbage are just a few names for these wide-leafed, crinkly, mild cabbages. Use it to replace traditional cabbage in your favorite recipes.
Chinese cabbage makes for particularly good vinaigrette cole-slaw.
If you're a close watcher of the Farmers market you'll soon see pickle-ladies carting bushels of small, heavy ccucumbers down the aisles. Now everyone can enjoy this sushi restaurant treat. Edamame, the japanese name for fresh soybeans, is sold at the market still on the vine. Take home the bunches of greens and stems, pick off the pods, boil for 5 to 10 minutes, and snack away. This month the market is bursting with pots of lavender , rosemary , cilantro , chives, thyme , mint , sweet basil, flat parsley , triple-curl parsley, purple basil, lemon basil, marjoram , oregano , and epazote .