Market Vegetable and Fruit Guide + Recipes

Arugula is a leafy green that can be used raw, as in a salad or pasta, or cooked. It has a stronger flavor than regular lettuce.

Rich in: Vitamin C, Potassium

Apples

Apples range in color from yellow to red and can be very sweet or very sour depending on the type of apple. If you don’t buy organic apples, remember to rinse them before eating to wash away pesticides.

Rich in: Vitamin C, Fiber
Nutrition tip: Eat your apple peels! They have much more nutritional value and help lower bad cholesterol.

Apple Recipes and Cooking Tips

Beets

Beets are red or brown on the outside and have a deep purple inside. The purple inside of a beet can be eaten raw – you often see them on salads. The insides can also be cooked or pickled.

Rich in: B Vitamins (especially B9), Iron, Magnesium, Potassium

Beet Stacks with Minted Goat Cheese

Blueberries

Blueberries are small, sweet-tasting berries. As with other kinds of berries, raw blueberries are packed with nutrients that help prevent various health problems.

Rich in: Vitamin K, Vitamin C, B Vitamins, Antioxidants

Blueberry Recipes and Cooking Tips

Broccoli

Broccoli is a green vegetable edible raw or cooked. It is known for the health benefit of preventing cancer.

Rich in: Vitamin C, Vitamin K, B Vitamins, Fiber, Calcium

Broccoli Recipes and Cooking Tips

Cabbage

Cabbage is commonly green, red, or purple. Its leaves are thicker than the leaves of other leafy vegetables.

Rich in: Vitamin K, Vitamin C, Riboflavin, Iron

Carrots

Carrots are known for their typically bright orange, edible root. The leafy green carrot tops are edible too, though not many people eat them because they are bitter.

Rich in: Vitamin A

Cherries

Cherries range in light red to very dark red in color. Some cherries are very sour (good for pies), while others are juicy and sweet. Watch out for the hard cherry pits inside.

Rich in: Vitamin C, Antioxidants

Collard Greens

Collard greens are slightly bitter, leafy vegetables. They are a great source of calcium.

Rich in: Vitamin A, Vitamin K, Vitamin C, Calcium

Cucumbers

Cucumbers make great snacks or salad toppings when sliced up. The outside of a cucumber is edible. Some cucumbers are small (‘pickling’ and ‘salad’ cucumbers) and others are very large (‘slicing’ cucumbers). Eat them before they turn yellow and become bitter tasting.

Cucumbers are mostly water, though they contain small doses of a variety of vitamins and minerals.

Eggplant

Eggplants are easily recognizable due to their smooth, purple skin. The inside of an eggplant is white. The skin is edible, so peeling is not required. Eggplant is usually cooked before eaten.

Rich in: Manganese

Eggplant Recipes and Cooking Tips

Green Beans / String Beans

Whereas peas have smooth, waxy shells, green beans are long and have a slightly fuzzy outside. Some green beans are wide and flat. Green beans are eaten whole or chopped into smaller sections.

Rich in: Vitamin C, Iron, Potassium

Kale

Kale is generally sold in bunches of long leaves, which can be either flat or curly looking. It is a really good source of vitamins and minerals.

Rich in: Vitamin A, Vitamin K, Vitamin C, Vitamin E, B Vitamins, Manganese

Onions

Onions come in many different colors, shapes, and sizes. White onions are the most likely to make your eyes water when you chop them up.

Rich in: Vitamin C, B Vitamins

Parsnips

Parsnips look like fat, pale white or yellow carrots. Parsnips are more rich in nutrients than carrots. Do not touch or eat the leaves on a parsnip if they are there – they cause a chemical burn on exposed skin.

Rich in: Vitamin C, Potassium, Fiber

Peas

Peas come in many different varieties. Sugar snap peas can be eaten whole. Other types of peas, like snow peas, are easier to eat when the peas are removed from the waxy outer pea pod.

Rich in: B Vitamins (especially B1), Vitamin C, Phosphorus, Iron

Potatoes

There are thousands of varieties of potatoes throughout the world. You are most likely to see red and brown potatoes in the market. Potato sprouts, leaves, and stems are toxic, so toss your potatoes if you let them sit too long and they sprout or if they turn green inside.

Rich in: B Vitamins (especially B6), Vitamin C, Potassium, Phosphorus

Radishes vary in size and color, but your are most likely to see red radishes with white insides. They are very spicy tasting.

Rich in: Vitamin C, B Vitamins

Spinach is a leafy green packed with vitamins. It is a great source of iron and calcium.

Rich in: Vitamin K, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Calcium, Iron

Strawberries

Strawberries are sweet red fruits.

Rich in: Vitamin C

Swiss Chard

Swiss Chard

Rich in:

Tomatoes

Tomatoes

Rich in:

Zucchini

Zucchini

Rich in: