Wynn Westmoreland is Georgia born and bred, and she knows from Vidalia onions. And yes, she does say "y'all" a lot.

Hey y’all, it’s Vidalia onion time. And that is big time. What other onion has its own museum, state and federal law of protection, festival, YouTube channel, website, Facebook page and Twitter account?

The Vidalia actually started as a fluke as farmers in the Depression tried different crops. In a small section of Georgia with the right soil contents, an onion grew that wasn’t hot but very sweet. Folks flipped over them and soon word of those sweet onions from Georgia got out.
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Scorpacciata is a term that means consuming large amounts of a particular local ingredient while it's in season. It's a good way to eat.

In theory, it's spring. Not that you'd be able to tell it from the weather, which seems unable to decide between parboiling and deep-freezing various chunks of the country, but I'm clinging on to a few telltale signs at the farmers market and in produce aisles.

While summer's sumptuous heirloom tomatoes and versatile, velvety okra are undeniably wonderful, spring's unique bounty feeds my senses and my soul. After a season of hearty, dense, nourishing and occasionally dull root vegetables, the earth is coming to life again in a riot of color and flavor. Might as well celebrate over dinner.
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While you're frying up some eggs and bacon, we're cooking up something else: a way to celebrate today's food holiday.

Have a heart, and then some more! There's plenty to go around this March 16, because it's National Artichoke Hearts Day.

What do you get at the center of a prickly green artichoke? Only a nice, nutty little bite of goodness.

The fleshy base of the artichoke is perhaps the most enjoyably edible part of this oddly-shaped vegetable. You have to peel back quite a few leaves to get to the center, but it's more than worth it - and the culinary possibilities are endless. Don't feel like peeling? No worries, you can find artichoke hearts that are packed in vinegar, oil or marinade and canned.
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5@5 is a daily, food-related list from chefs, writers, political pundits, musicians, actors, and all manner of opinionated people from around the globe.

Your mother probably always told you, "Don't judge a book by its cover." She also told you to always eat your vegetables.

Kill two birds with one fungi by eating some of the gnarliest looking vegetables around - mushrooms - with the help of Chris DiMinno, executive chef at Clyde Common in Portland, Oregon.

My Five Most Important Mushrooms and How to Showcase Them: Chris DiMinno
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Oh Anderson, how do you not get scurvy? Or even rickets? You are a beautiful, intelligent creature, sent unto us from the heavens, and we would like you to live well and healthily for a very long time. Please eat some vegetables.

No, really - your twice a day corn and mashed potatoes from Boston Market don't really count. Even if you go for the double serving of corn as you are wont to do. And it's not like you're alone - according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Healthy People 2010 data, only six percent of men and four percent of women eat enough vegetables.

You can do better than that, Anderson. You can BE better than that.
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How fantastic are fall and winter squash? They're packed to the gills with antioxidants, dietary fiber, Vitamin A and carotenes, fill you up for just a few calories, and can be prepared in approximately seventy billion ways, from sweet to savory. Plus they're in season right this very second, generally cheap as the dickens, and add glorious color and fabulous flavor to your holiday feasts.

But how do you tackle the beast? Butternut squash can be unwieldy to butcher, some varieties like turban, hubbard and kabocha look all gnarled and knobbly and scary, and how the heck do you cook them?

Let's quash all those worries right this second, starting with selection.
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We've long maintained that the very best thing about Thanksgiving is the side dishes, and smack dab in the middle of November, you can't do much better than vegetables. Nope - not just canned green beans en casserole (though that's seriously delicious and we'll delve into that soon), frozen creamed pearl onions (again...mmmm...) or corn pudding. We're talking fresh and in season, because that's the very best way to eat.

In addition to our in-depth guides on roasted broccoli, butternut squash, other varieties of fall squash and all the pumpkin you can shake a spatula at, here are a few quick, killer vegetable dishes you can feel excellent about heaping high on your plate.
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Now's the time to heap your plate full of beets, broccoli, apples, chestnuts, kale, potatoes, pumpkin, winter squash, cabbage, citrus and artichokes while they're in peak season. Why? It's just more delicious that way.

Don't like broccoli? Give it a roast

How to roast butternut squash

Make the most of fall squash

Pumpkin beyond the pie

Turnips, long a vegetabilis non-grata in my kitchen. Their positive attributes - juicy interior, good nutritional value and attractive appearance - never made up for their bitterness and I'm a bitter gal. Aperol, Campari, dark chocolate, citrus peel, love them all - except the turnip.

Yet last Monday, after a hectic day at work, I found myself at my dining room table swooning over a plate of turnips, ones I had prepared no less. And I never would have gotten there if I didn't shop with local farmers.
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While you're frying up some eggs and bacon, we're cooking up something else: a way to celebrate today's food holiday.

Today's food holiday is for the thick-skinned – September 7 is National Acorn Squash Day!

Acorn squash has been a homegrown American vegetable ever since... well, America began! Native Americans were already hooked on the easy-to-grow squash and shared the love with early settlers.
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