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On a quick trip to the grocery store recently—I was actually picking up some veggies for some recipe development assignments—one of those 4-digit codes on the red beets was missing. The young checkout clerk asked what they were.
“Red beets, you say? Hmmm. Can’t say I’ve ever had ‘em.”
Unbeknownst to me, that was just the beginning. Since just about every other item in my basket was a vegetable needing a code, it wasn’t long before he was asking me what a green curly-leafed bunch was.
“Kale.”
And again he perused his chart…”Does that start with a K? Oh yes, there it is.”
But hey, by then we had actually built a reportoire.
“Haven’t had this one either.”
It was Chinese cabbage. But we got lucky—that one was clearly marked with a blue and silver wire tie—and the requisite 4-digit produce number.
'Hey,' I said—'try it sometime. It’s really good sautéed in a bit of olive oil with a dash of soy sauce and sesame seeds.'
Don’t know if that sounded good to him or not—or if he was just used to the delusional ramblings of unusual middle-aged women, but as I was leaving he called over to the next cashier:
“Guess what? I just learned about all kinds of new foods that I didn’t know existed before!”
Yes, he really was excited. And that’s when I realized how much it’s up to us to help encourage and share this exciting world with our kids. Even if that’s just learning how to cook a bunch of fresh red beets.
Yep, I hope that cashier does have an opportunity to taste one of those new veggies soon. After all, who can go wrong with veggies? They certainly do the body good: low in calories, high in healthful vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients.
On the off chance you or your kids haven’t tried Chinese cabbage, give it a second look—it’s also called Napa cabbage. Go ahead, choose a fresh bunch the next time you dally through the produce department and try this recipe out: it’s an easy way to stir up a tasty vegetable side dish in less than 5 minutes. Better yet, get the kids to help.
©2026 CDKitchen, Inc. No reproduction or distribution of any portion of this article is allowed without express permission from CDKitchen, Inc.
To share this article with others, you may link to this page:
https://www.cdkitchen.com/cooking-experts/christine-gable/509-new-vegetable-discoveries/
Er, What's the Name of That Veggie?
On a quick trip to the grocery store recently—I was actually picking up some veggies for some recipe development assignments—one of those 4-digit codes on the red beets was missing. The young checkout clerk asked what they were.
“Red beets, you say? Hmmm. Can’t say I’ve ever had ‘em.”
Unbeknownst to me, that was just the beginning. Since just about every other item in my basket was a vegetable needing a code, it wasn’t long before he was asking me what a green curly-leafed bunch was.
“Kale.”
And again he perused his chart…”Does that start with a K? Oh yes, there it is.”
But hey, by then we had actually built a reportoire.
“Haven’t had this one either.”
It was Chinese cabbage. But we got lucky—that one was clearly marked with a blue and silver wire tie—and the requisite 4-digit produce number.
'Hey,' I said—'try it sometime. It’s really good sautéed in a bit of olive oil with a dash of soy sauce and sesame seeds.'
Don’t know if that sounded good to him or not—or if he was just used to the delusional ramblings of unusual middle-aged women, but as I was leaving he called over to the next cashier:
“Guess what? I just learned about all kinds of new foods that I didn’t know existed before!”
Yes, he really was excited. And that’s when I realized how much it’s up to us to help encourage and share this exciting world with our kids. Even if that’s just learning how to cook a bunch of fresh red beets.
Yep, I hope that cashier does have an opportunity to taste one of those new veggies soon. After all, who can go wrong with veggies? They certainly do the body good: low in calories, high in healthful vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients.
On the off chance you or your kids haven’t tried Chinese cabbage, give it a second look—it’s also called Napa cabbage. Go ahead, choose a fresh bunch the next time you dally through the produce department and try this recipe out: it’s an easy way to stir up a tasty vegetable side dish in less than 5 minutes. Better yet, get the kids to help.
Serves/Makes: 4
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium head bok choy (Chinese cabbage), sliced into 1/2-inch pieces
- OR
- 4 baby bok choy, cut in half lengthwise
- 1/4 teaspoon soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons sesame seeds, toasted
Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the bok choy and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5-7 minutes. Cover the skillet and let the bok choy cook an additional 5-7 minutes or until it is tender.
Season the bok choy with the soy sauce and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Serve immediately.
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©2026 CDKitchen, Inc. No reproduction or distribution of any portion of this article is allowed without express permission from CDKitchen, Inc.
To share this article with others, you may link to this page:
https://www.cdkitchen.com/cooking-experts/christine-gable/509-new-vegetable-discoveries/