List of vegetables

Potatoes are tubers - they grow underground but are not the central root of the plant like a carrot or turnip. One potato plant can make many potatoes. Potatoes originally came from Peru but are now grown world wide, and are the fourth biggest crop after rice, wheat, and maize. Potatoes are best known in the form of french fries (chips) or crisps. Potato can be eaten in a huge variety of ways. It can be an ingredient in soups and stews, mashed and eaten with butter, baked, fried, boiled and in a huge variety of other dishes.

Radishes are an edible root vegetable. They come in a variety of colors, with the most common being red and white. The root of the radish is crisp and has a sharp peppery flavour, with some radish varieties being hotter than others. Radishes are most commonly used in salads, and can be preserved by pickling them. Radish leaves and seeds are also edible but not as many people eat them as eat the root.

The rutabaga, started as a cross between a cabbage and a turnip. Rutabagas can be roasted, julienned, mashed and added to soups and stews. Rutabagas are called swedes in countries like England and Australia.

Spinach is an edible green leafy plant that grows to about a foot tall. It is from Nepal and southeast Asia. Spinach can survive very severe frosts. It is usually eaten cooked, on its own or with other food. Spinach goes well with cheese and garlic.

Squash are a group of plants that are sometimes called pumpkins and sometimes called marrows. Some people think of the yellow squash in the picture when they hear the word "squash", others think of butternut squash.