Greens

Greens wilt fast, and you don't need a lesson to see it. Leave a bunch on the counter a day too long and the leaves go soft in your hand, dull, heavy, tired. Give them a real chance first: drop them in a bowl of cold water for a while and watch. Most of the time they come back, standing up, cool and crisp again in your fingers. Only when the edges have gone dark and slick, when the leaf feels wet and limp no matter how long it sits in water, is it truly done.

Choosing greens is a matter of looking and smelling, not guessing. The leaf should stand up on its own, not droop over your hand. The colour should be even, no yellow patches, no dark slime at the cut end. Smell it — good greens smell green, almost sharp, though some are simply quiet by nature. What you don't want is a sour, musty, gone-off smell.

Some people say a limp leaf is finished, fit only for the bin. No! Limp often just means thirsty. Soak it, dry it, and cook with it happily. The real mistake is throwing out good greens too early, while the ones left forgotten and wet in a bag in the fridge are the ones actually turning on you.