Every week we get Down & Dirty, in which we break down our favorite unique seasonal fruits, vegetables, and more.

Today is all about our new favorite green. Learn what to look for at the market, and how to work it into meals from now till next week. 

Take some advice from mother.

Today we're taking a nose dive into the salad bowl with a half-dozen varieties of dark leafy greens. These plants come from a few different plant families -- arugula, kale, and collards are Brassicas, spinach and chard are in the Amaranth family, and dandelion is from the family Asteraceae -- but they share certain essential characteristics in the kitchen: all can be enjoyed raw or cooked, and they're all hardier than the fragile salad greens of spring.