Food for Thought: Eat the Leaves

DOUG REYNICS

I’m an avid gardener, and love to grow my own produce. I sometimes grow things not for the expected harvest, but for the leaves! I’d like to share a list of items you probably didn’t think you could eat.

Leek tops

When you use leeks, the recipe always calls for you to discard the white and light green parts of leeks. I used to discard and compost the tops - but you can use the leaves! Wash as thoroughly as you do the main part of the leeks, chop and use as you would the leeks part. (You might not for a leek soup as the green coloring might be a bit off-putting). But anywhere you see a recipe for onions, try the leek tops.

Carrot tops

No, they are not toxic as many people think. That said, they are a stronger particular flavor not everyone will enjoy. They are good as a cilantro-like topping or condiment. They can also be substituted for parsley when you want to enhance a savory or umami flavor.

Broccoli leaves

When we see broccoli in the store, we usually see a head wrapped in a few wilted leaves, which we immediately remove before cooking. But broccoli leaves are a vegetable in their own right.

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

Sweet potato leaves

Not to be confused with potatoes (the two plants are not related and you never eat regular potato leaves), sweet potatoes are in the same family as morning glories, which is most apparent when you see both plants flowering. They are my favorite leafy vegetable top to consume. I do a stir fry with garlic, coconut milk, lemongrass, and lime leaves (when I have them) for flavor. They don’t wilt like spinach so it can be a substantial side. You can grow sweet potatoes for the potato, or if you’re like me, for the leaves!

Cucumber leaves

Cucumbers share a lot of the same characteristics as their squash cousins. This includes being a true top to bottom consumable produce - the sprouts, stems, leaves, flowers, and fruit are all edible. Fresh, crisp cucumber sprouts make an especially good salad green, but tender young cucumber leaves can be eaten as well. They’re so light and subtle that they’ll take on the flavor of whatever they’re cooked with, so I prefer them raw.

Pepper leaves

Bet I’m surprising you with this one! The leaves from sweet pepper and hot pepper plants are edible and they are delicious. They have a milder pepper flavor than the peppers themselves, and taste a little like white pepper—delicate and fragrant. It doesn’t matter if you use the leaves from a sweet bell or a fiery habanero, as the chemical compound that gives peppers their heat (capsaicin) is concentrated in the inner membranes of the fruit. A popular use for pepper leaves is in the Filipino soup called Tinola, though certain Chinese dishes also use pepper leaves in braises and stir fry.

Now that you know that you can eat these greens, try some. Let me know what you tried and how you used them, and include some photos. I’d love to hear from you!

DOUG REYNICS is a longtime Tucker resident and self-described “foodie.” Many know him as “Doug the Driver,” who provides rides to and from both the domestic and international airport terminals. (To date, his service has provided almost 2,300 airport rides!) If you have a food story or question you would like to see him write about (or if you need a ride!), email him at dougthedriver1@gmail.com or call him at 770.842.4261.