Asparagus is a favorite vegetable for spring holidays. It is primarily grown in California and is available in large quantities in the spring. Asparagus is best when it is cooked just until it is tender but not mushy.

Many people turn up their nose at the mention of beets as they remember the canned variety dumped on their childhood plates. However, beets are a nutritious root vegetable that can be used in a variety of ways. Some high-end restaurants have even begun to feature dishes with beets.

Broccoli is most famous for being the vegetable that the first President Bush professed to strongly dislike and refused to eat. Broccoli, however, is an excellent source of iron and other nutrients.

Cabbage is probably best-known in the U.S. for its use in traditional St. Patrick’s Day fare – corned beef and cabbage. Cabbage is tasty both cooked and in salads. Red cabbage is often used to add color to salads in restaurants.

Cauliflower is a nutritious vegetable whether eaten raw or cooked. It dates back to ancient times and is now available in both white and green varieties.

An ear of corn often brings back memories of summertime picnics and the Fourth of July. A staple in American diets dating back to the time of Columbus, corn has played an important role in the dietary and economic history of the U.S.

Eggplant is related to the tomato, pepper and Irish potato and is light for its size. It is often used as a substitute for meat in main dishes. The colors, shapes and sizes vary, but the common characteristics include a pear-shape and glossy purple skin.

Fresh fennel adds a licorice taste to dishes. The longer it is cooked, the milder the taste. It is one of the few vegetables that is entirely edible.

Greens have always been trendy produce in the South but are becoming more popular in other regions. Many greens are an exceptional source of vitamins A and C, which have been associated with reducing the risk of certain cancers.

Horseradish root adds a hot, pungent flavor to any dish. It’s pungent aroma and hot flavor add spice and flavor to sandwiches, soups and sauces.

Leeks, also called scallions, are a member of the onion family but with a more mild flavor. Green onions and shallots are harvested very young, have little or no bulb formation and have tubular green stems. Leeks, however, have a slight bulb formation with broad, flat, dark green tops.

With more than 2,500 varieties, only a handful of mushrooms are most commonly cultivated: shiitake, white, crimini and portabella. Other varieties are growing in popularity. They include the oyster, maitake, beech, morel and enoki varieties.

Bulb onions come in three colors — yellow, red and white. Approximately 87% of the crop is devoted to yellow onion production, with about 8% red onions and 5% white onions. Scallions, or green onions … well … come in only one color. Onions represent the third-largest fresh vegetable industry in the United States. Fresh and storage onion consumption has risen more than 70% in the last two decades, from 12.2 pounds per person in 1983 to an estimated 21 pounds per person in 2005.

Only 5% of all peas grown today are sold fresh. Most are for canning or freezing. Green peas are truly legumes, which bear pods encasing seeds. Therefore, they do not require long cooking times because of their natural tenderness.

There are two types of peppers — bell (mild) and chili (hot; spelled chile, chilli or chili depending on the region). New Mexico leads the nation in chili pepper production, followed by California. Chili peppers are often used in oriental, Cajun and southwestern foods. They are also sold as ornamental plants or processed into pepper mash for condiment sale.

Although the pumpkin is considered a vegetable, it is botanically a fruit from the gourd family because it grows from a flower. Most pumpkins are cultivated for processing and made into canned pumpkin and canned pie mix.

Long-revered for its medicinal properties, rhubarb makes tasty addition to any meal or a yummy dessert. Rhubarb plants should be handled with care as the leaves are poisonous to humans.

The salad industry has caused a rise in fresh spinach consumption over the past decade. Packages of spinach and spinach on salad bars have helped the cause. The U.S. is the second-largest producer of spinach behind China, coming in with a distant 3% of the world’s production behind China’s 85%.

There is a fine line between a yam and a sweet potato, and from a culinary point of view, they are quite similar. The “yams” that are sold in the U.S. are actually a Louisiana variety of sweet potato with a moist texture and orange flesh. The USDA requires that sweet potatoes sold under the label “yam” always be accompanied by the words “sweet potato” to distinguish them from a true yam. Sweet potatoes look like potatoes with pointed ends. A true yam, from the species Dioscorea, is a starchy, less sweet edible root that looks more rootlike with twists and turns in its shape. Traditionally, sweet potatoes have white flesh. The orange-fleshed sweet potatoes grown in the U.S. have the variety name “yam”.

Tomatoes are the fourth most popular fresh vegetable, in terms of consumption, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Only potatoes, lettuce and onions are consumed more. That popularity is due mostly to increased interest and improved awareness of newer varieties. The USDA states that other factors in their popularity could include a surge of immigrants with vegetable-intensive diets and heightened awareness of health and nutrition.

In the United States, the terms yam and sweet potato are often used interchangeably. However, the yam is its own distinct vegetable.