Leaf vegetable

Leaf vegetables, also calledleafy greens,pot herbs,vegetable greens, or simplygreens, are plantleaveseaten as avegetable, sometimes accompanied by tenderpetiolesandshoots. Leaf vegetables eaten raw in a salad can be calledsalad greens.
Nearly one thousand species ofplants with edible leavesare known. Leaf vegetables most often come from short-livedherbaceous plants, such aslettuceandspinach.  Woody plants of various species also provide edible leaves.
The leaves of manyfoddercrops are also edible for humans, but are usually only eaten underfamineconditions. Examples includealfalfa,clover, and mostgrasses, includingwheatandbarley.Food processing, such as drying and grinding into powder or pulping and pressing for juice, may involve these crop leaves in a diet.
Leaf vegetables contain many typical plant nutrients, but theirvitamin Klevels are particularly notable since they are photosynthetic tissues.Phylloquinone, the most common form of the vitamin, is directly involved inphotosynthesis.
Spinach, as an example of a leaf vegetable, is low incaloriesandfatper calorie, and high indietary fiber,vitamin C, pro-vitamin Acarotenoids,folate,manganeseandvitamin K.
The vitamin K content of leaf vegetables is particularly high since these are photosynthetic tissues, andphylloquinoneis involved inphotosynthesis.Accordingly, users ofvitamin K antagonistmedications, such aswarfarin, must take special care to limit the consumption of leaf vegetables.
If leaves are cooked for food, they may be referred to in theUnited Statesasboiled greens.  Leaf vegetables may bestir-fried,stewed,steamed, or consumed raw. Leaf vegetables stewed withporkis a traditional dish insoul foodandSouthern U.S. cuisine. They are also commonly eaten in South Asian dishes such assaag. Leafy greens can be used to wrap other ingredients into an edible package like atortilla. Many green leafy vegetables, such as lettuce or spinach, can also be eaten raw, for example, insandwichesorsalads. Agreen smoothieenables large quantities of raw leafy greens to be consumed by blending the leaves with fruit and water.
In certain countries of Africa, various species of nutritiousamaranthare widely eaten boiled.
Celosia argenteavar.argenteaor "Lagos spinach" is one of the main boiled greens inWest African cuisine.
InGreek cuisine,khorta(χόρτα, literally 'greens') are a typical side dish, eaten hot or cold and usually seasoned witholive oilandlemon.
At least 80 different kinds of greens are used, depending on the area and season, includingblack mustard,dandelion,wild sorrel,chicory,fennel,chard,kale,mallow,black nightshade,lamb's quarters,wild leeks,hoary mustard,charlock,smooth sow thistleand even the fresh leaves of thecaperplant.
Preboggion, a mixture of different wild boiled leaf vegetables, is used inLigurian cuisineto stuffravioliandpansoti.One of the main ingredients ofpreboggionareborage(Borago officinalis)leaves.Preboggionis also sometimes added tominestronesoup andfrittata.
Botwinka(or boćwinka) is a soup that features beet stems and leaves as one of its main ingredients. The word "botwinka" is the diminutive form of "botwina" which refers to leafy vegetables like chard and beet leaves.
In thecuisine of the Southern United Statesandtraditional African-American cuisine,turnip,collard,kale,garden cress,dandelion,mustard, andpokeweedgreens are commonly cooked and often served with pieces ofhamorbacon.  The boiling water, calledpotlikker, is used asbroth.  Water in which pokeweed has been prepared contains toxins that have been removed by boiling and should be discarded.
Sauteed escarole is a primary ingredient in theItalian-AmericandishUtica greens.
Postharvest diseasescause up to 50% losses of leaf vegetables. These arefungal,bacterial, and much less commonlyviral. The most important remedy is temperature-controlled storage, although it is also important to prevent mechanical damage as this provides entryways for pathogens. Uncontaminated water for washing vegetables is of lesser but still significant importance.
Common bacterial pathogens include:Xanthomonas campestrispv.vitians,Pseudomonas viridiflava,P. cichorii, andP. marginalis,P. syringaepv.aptata,X. campestrispv.campestris,X. campestrispv.raphani,P. syringaepv.maculicola,P. syringaepv.alisalensis,Pectobacteriumspp. includingPectobacterium carotovorumsubsp.odoriferumandPectobacterium aroidearum,Dickeyaspp.,Pseudomonas marginalis, andPseudomonas viridiflava.
Common fungal pathogens include:Alternaria brassicicola,A. alternata,A. arborescens,A. tenuissima,A. japonica,Colletotrichum higginsianum,Colletotrichum dematiumf.spinaciae,Microdochium panattonianum,Stemphylium botryosum,Cladosporium variabile,Cercospora beticola,C. lactucae-sativae,C. brassicicola,C. acetosella,Botrytis cinerea,Golovinomyces cichoracearum,Podosphaera fusca,Erysiphe cruciferarum,E. polygoni,E. heraclei,Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, andS. minor.
Commonoomycetepathogens include:Albugo occidentalis,A. ipomoeae-aquaticae,A. candida,Hyaloperonospora parasitica,Bremia lactucae,Peronospora effusa, andPeronospora farinosaf.sp.betae.
Fungicidessuch asprochlorazcan be used to manage some of these.