Being the youngest boy of the youngest boy, my Mallory grandparents were quite old when I was born. I barely remember them, but years later talked with Aunt Mildred, "Aunt" Georgia Ruth, and others in the circle of elderly ladies who knew my grandparents. Like all rural women of that era, my grandma Della cooked practically all day. More than one person told me that Grandma could peel an apple faster and thinner than any woman in the county, and not only that, the peel was always one unbroken piece. I wish I had written down more of what I heard, because I know the family cooked all types of greens. One of them was "Sweet Potato Greens."

My Mallory grandparents Dave and Della with their kids:
a hardworking farm family in the midst of the Great Depression.
My dad is the littlest, the boy on the left in the front row.

For city folk, sweet potato greens can be found at the better farmers' markets and for country folk, they are right in your garden! Yes, these are the same sweet potatoes you've planted to dig up and eat later. The tender leaves are edible, and in fact, are widely eaten in Asia, Africa, and many other places in the world. They are a favorite dish in Liberia. In the Philippines, they are fondly referred to as "Camote Tops" because the word camote is Tagalog for sweet potato.

They are not bitter, like turnip greens or mustard greens can be, and have a slight sweetness. If you've ever eaten purslane you will see a similarity. Some suggest eating sweet potato greens raw, but I find they are too sharp that way. In fact, in my recipe I include a procedure to make the greens even milder. The nutritional content is similar to spinach.

Country-Style Sweet Potato Greens

• 1/4 cup vegetable or olive oil
• 1 quart, approximately, boiling water plus cold water (for blanching)
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/2 onion, diced
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/4 pound sweet potato greens, thoroughly rinsed, stems removed

Rinse sweet potato greens and remove stems. Place in a strainer in the sink. Boil water and pour over greens in strainer. Let cool for 2 minutes, then pour on cool water. While that is draining, heat a heavy skillet over medium heat. Add oil. When warm, add garlic, onion and chili powder. Saute for about 3-5 minutes, till golden brown. Pat greens with paper towels to eliminate excess water. Add greens to skillet, toss all well, and allow to cook for 3-5 minutes. Greens will wilt and soften like spinach. Serve immediately.

This recipe was adapted from one sent by Terra Brockman, of Henry's Farms, a multi-generational small-scale farm using sustainable and environmentally-friendly practices. It's truly a family farm. She is also the author of The Seasons on Henry's Farm, a book I highly recommend (I read it twice!) and which is nominated for a 2010 James Beard award. I get most of my farmer's market veggies from them in Evanston, IL every Saturday in summer and fall.

Don't go wild and decide you can eat all leaves from edible plants. Some, like rhubarb leaves, are poisonous! If you get sweet potato greens from your garden, you can start harvesting the leaves about a month after you've planted them. However, don't take more than half the leaves from any particular plant, and though you can take part of the stem, don't eat the stem; discard it. Only the leaves have a good taste. It can be harvested more than once, though some old-timers say the leaves get more bitter close to the time of harvesting the potatoes.

And I'm a big believer in listening to old-timers.

One of the enchanting smells of summer is meat sizzling on the grill, and though my parents wouldn't have thought of grilling any vegetable other than russet potatoes, nowadays people are throwing all kinds of veggies onto the grill.

If this is something you haven't done much of, or want to try, here are a few tips that will prevent your fresh garden gems from burning and ending up in the compost pile. While vegetables can, of course, go directly on the grill, for anything other than potatoes, a grilling pan or grilling basket comes in very handy.

Basics: First, remember to avoid letting raw meat touch the veggies to be grilled. You might think they're all going to be cooked anyway, but vegetables might not reach a high enough temperature to prevent harmful bacteria.

Some vegetables are so difficult to cook in their raw state on the grill that you should parboil them first; I even boil potatoes before roasting them on the grill (and potatoes should always have holes poked in them to avoid bursting). Boil potatoes and artichoke hearts for about 8-10 min. in boiling water before grilling. For carrots, celeriac, parsnips and whole garlic bulbs, boil 5-8 minutes before grilling.

Don't throw all the vegetables on the grill at once. It takes some experimenting, but basically harder vegetables, will, of course, take longer to grill. Very soft ones will take much less. The ones mentioned above for boiling before grilling are what I would consider "hard" vegetables. Medium ones could include leeks, scallions, onions, asparagus and bell peppers. Take care with "soft" vegetables such as ripe tomatoes, green onions, squash, zucchini and eggplant. And the grill should not be excessively cool or hot.

Corn: I'm of the belief that anyone who can grill can probably grill corn, or already has. Some people boil ears of corn before grilling to avoid any charring, while others like the extra smoky taste that direct grilling gives. There are two basic ways people grill corn: pull down the husk, tear off the silk, brush the kernels with oil, then pull the husk back on the grill. Method number two is what I'd call the "1960s Dad Method": husk the corn completely, cover with butter, salt and pepper, wrap in aluminum foil, and put on the grill.

Tomatoes: Grilled tomatoes are exquisite, but I recommend halving cherry tomatoes, small Roma tomatoes, or small other tomatoes. Even thick-sliced large tomatoes fall apart on the grill pretty quickly. If you want some make-ahead pasta sauce, grill at least 20-30 small tomatoes brushed with olive oil and throw in chopped garlic. Add salt and pepper. Grill till soft, and when done, let cool and process in a blender. It purees very easily and you will want only that kind from then on!

Squash/zucchini: I prefer to grill pattypan squash since they are small and do not fall apart easily. My overall recommendation is not to grill squash or zucchini, but if you do, cut them in chunks instead of slices.

Salt: Your tendency might be to salt a little of any vegetable you put on the grill. Usually it's all right, but remember that salt acts as a chemical as well as a flavoring ingredient. It can make some vegetables, especially soft ones, "sweat" and cook faster.

Skewers: When using wooden skewers, soak them in cold water for 30 minutes before grilling so they won't burn. You are probably disposing of them anyway, but I have had skewers completely burn before the food is done.

Time to fire up the grill!