Nearly 1,000 species of plants with edible leaves are known. Leaf vegetables most often come from short-lived herbaceous plants, such as lettuce and spinach, but also come from some woody plants. The leaves of many fodder crops (e.g. alfalfa, clover, and most grasses) are also edible by humans, but usually only as famine or processed food.

The leaves of many fodder crops are also edible by humans, but usually only as famine food. Examples include alfalfa, clover, and most grasses, including wheat and barley. Food processing, such as drying and grinding into powder or pulping and pressing for juice, may involve these crop leaves in a diet.

Leaf vegetables contain many typical plant nutrients, but being photosynthetic tissues, their vitamin K levels are particularly notable. Accordingly, users of vitamin K antagonist medications like warfarin must limit their consumption of leaf vegetables.

If leaves are cooked for food, they may be referred to in the United States as boiled greens. Leaf vegetables may be stir-fried, stewed, steamed, or consumed raw. Leaf vegetables stewed with pork is a traditional dish in soul food and Southern U.S. cuisine. They are also commonly eaten in South Asian dishes such as saag. Leafy greens can be used to wrap other ingredients into an edible package like a tortilla. Many green leafy vegetables, such as lettuce or spinach, can also be eaten raw, for example, in sandwiches or salads. A green smoothie enables large quantities of raw leafy greens to be consumed by blending the leaves with fruit and water.

The brassicaceae is a medium-sized and economically important family of flowering plants commonly known as the mustards, the crucifers, or the cabbage family. The family contains the cruciferous vegetables, including species such as Brassica oleracea (cultivated as cabbage, kale, cauliflower, broccoli and collards), Brassica rapa (turnip, Chinese cabbage, etc.), Brassica napus (rapeseed, etc.), Raphanus sativus (common radish), Armoracia rusticana (horseradish), the cut-flower Matthiola (stock) and the model organism Arabidopsis thaliana (thale cress).

This family includes important agricultural crops, particularly leafy greens, among which many vegetables such as cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, kale, Brussels sprouts, collard greens, Savoy, kohlrabi, and gai lan (Brassica oleracea), turnip, napa cabbage, mizuna, bok choy and rapini (Brassica rapa), rocket salad/arugula (Eruca sativa), garden cress (Lepidium sativum), watercress (Nasturtium officinale) and radish (Raphanus) and a few spices like horseradish (Armoracia rusticana), wasabi (Eutrema japonicum), white, brown and black mustard (Sinapis alba, Brassica juncea and B. nigra respectively). Even if not specifically grown as leafy green vegetables, the leaves of the majority of these species can be and are consumed.

Outside the brassicaceae, the Amaranthaceae or Amaranth family are a major source of leafy greens worldwide, with the most common and well known species being Spinacia oleracea or spinach. Its leaves are a common vegetable consumed either fresh, cooked or after storage (using preservation techniques like canning, freezing, or dehydration). The taste differs considerably between cooked and raw: the high oxalate content may be reduced by blanching. So common is spinach as a leafy green that it's used as a common substitute for other local leafy greens.

Note that beetroot, a source of both an edible taproot and leafy greens. Beta vulgaris is also a member of the Amaranthaceae family, as is the closely related chard (Beta vulgaris subsp. vulgaris) which is grown for its edible stems and leafy greens.

In Africa, the leaves of cassava plants and sweet potato plants are widely consumed and leafy greens sourced from the wild are used to supplement the diet in countries across the globe.

The alphabetical list of all the leafy greens-based recipes on this site follows, (limited to 100 recipes per page). There are 3209 recipes in total:

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Nettle and Sausage Soup      Origin: Britain	Nigerian Guinea Fowl Stew      Origin: Nigeria	Ock-lam (Barbecued Pork with Mushrooms and Beans)      Origin: Laos
Nettle and Sorrel Omelette      Origin: Ireland	Nigerian Guineafowl Pepper Soup      Origin: Nigeria	Ofe Ugba (Ugba Soup)      Origin: Nigeria
Nettle and Spinach Cake      Origin: Britain	Nigerian Spiced Goat Meat Pepper Soup      Origin: Nigeria	Ofe-Owerri Soup      Origin: Nigeria
Nettle and Spinach Pancakes      Origin: America	Nigerian Spiced Grasscutter Pepper Soup      Origin: Nigeria	Ofellas Assas (Roast Morsels)      Origin: Roman
Nettle and Wild Garlic Soup      Origin: Britain	Nigerian Spiced Mixed Meat Pepper Soup      Origin: Nigeria	Ogbono Soup with Ugwu      Origin: Nigeria
Nettle Gnocchi with Dandelion Greens      Origin: Britain	Nila Bumbu Acar (Sour Spicy Carp)      Origin: Indonesia	Ogbono Soup with Waterleaf      Origin: Nigeria
Nettle Gnudi      Origin: Britain	Nilgiri Chicken Korma      Origin: India	Ohn Htamin (Burmese Coconut Rice)      Origin: Myanmar
Nettle Greens and Peanut Stew      Origin: African Fusion	Nipplewort Crème Fraîche      Origin: Britain	Okok (Eru Leaf Stew)      Origin: Cameroon
Nettle Leaf Greens      Origin: Britain	Njahi in Coconut Sauce (Kenyan Black Beans in Coconut Sauce)      Origin: Kenya	Okra with Seaweed Paste      Origin: Fusion
Nettle Pâté      Origin: British	Njandu Curry (Kerala Crab Curry)      Origin: India	Olan      Origin: India
Nettle Purée      Origin: Britain	Njeguški Pršut (Montenegrin Dry-cured Pork)      Origin: Montenegro	Old Bay Seasoning Mix      Origin: American
Nettle Purée and Oatmeal Cakes (Nettle Purée Oatcakes)      Origin: British	Nnam Owondo      Origin: Cameroon	Old-fashioned Home-made Sauerkraut      Origin: Germany
Nettle Purée Fritters      Origin: Britain	Nom Banh Chok      Origin: Cambodia	Old-fashioned Sweet Pickled Sea Sandwort      Origin: Britain
Nettle Syrup      Origin: Britain	Noodle Curry Paste      Origin: Laos	Oleum Liburnicum Sic Facies (Liburnian Oil is Made Thus)      Origin: Roman
Nettle Tagliatelle      Origin: Britain	Nori-nettle Gomasio      Origin: Britain	Oluwombo      Origin: Uganda
Nettle, Squash and Almond Curry      Origin: Britain	Nori-wrapped Mochiko Chicken      Origin: Hawaii	Ombidi (Namibian Spinach Stew)      Origin: Namibia
Nettles      Origin: Britain	Nori-wrapped Mochiko Pork      Origin: Hawaii	Omentata ita Fiunt (Smoked Liver Meatballs)      Origin: Roman
New Caledonia Civet de Cerf (Venison Stew)      Origin: New Caledonia	North Cornish Pea Soup      Origin: England	Omled Sloj (Onion Greens Omelette)      Origin: Welsh
New Potatoes in a Honey-mustard Dressing      Origin: Jersey	North Indian Garam Masala      Origin: India	Onion Bhaji      Origin: India
New Year's Hopping John      Origin: American	Noteye (Nutty)      Origin: England	Opor Ayam (Java Chicken Curry)      Origin: Indonesia
New York Style Hotdogs      Origin: American	Nouméa Sauce au Chien      Origin: New Caledonia	Opor Ayam Jawa (Javanese Coconut Curry Chicke)      Origin: Indonesia
New Zealand Chicken Curry      Origin: New Zealand	Num Banh Choc (Rice Noodle Fish Soup)      Origin: Cambodia	Or Lam      Origin: Laos
New Zealand Coconut Lamb Curry with Cashews      Origin: New Zealand	Numb-fish (Electric Ray)      Origin: Roman	Orange Bergamot Nuts      Origin: American
Nga Atoiba Thongba (Manipuri Broken Fish Curry)      Origin: India	Nutty Rice Burgers      Origin: Britain	Orange Salad      Origin: Scotland
Ngukassa (Plantain Soup)      Origin: Central African Republic	Nwa Mee Hinga (Oxtail and Watercress)      Origin: Myanmar	Orange Wakame Salad      Origin: American
Ngunza et Boule de Manioc (Ngunza and Cassava Balls)      Origin: Central African Republic	Nyaba      Origin: Sudan	Other grand Sallet of Watercresses.      Origin: British
Nhangana com Coco (Cowpea Leaves with Coconuts)      Origin: Mozambique	Nyete Greens with Peanut Butter      Origin: South Sudan	Otong Soup      Origin: Nigeria
Niban Dashi (Stock For Vegetables and Dipping Sauces)      Origin: Japan	Nyonya-style Curry with Eggs      Origin: Malaysia	Oven-baked Jollof Rice      Origin: Nigeria
Nicaraguan Salsa Criolla      Origin: Nicaragua	Oarweed Chips      Origin: Britain	Oven-roasted Nettle Crisps      Origin: Britain
Nigeria Challenge BIR Curry      Origin: Fusion	Oarweed-cured Tuna      Origin: Ireland	Ox-heart Black Curry      Origin: Sri Lanka
Nigerian Chicken Jollof Rice      Origin: Nigeria	Oatmeal Porridge with Cavolo Nero and Bacon      Origin: Britain	Oxeye Daisy Chopsuey      Origin: Fusion
Nigerian Chicken Stew      Origin: Nigeria	Oaxacan Black Beans with Avocado Leaf      Origin: Mexico	Oxeye Daisy Filo Rolls      Origin: Fusion
Nigerian Fresh Fish Pepper Soup      Origin: Nigeria	Obe Efo Elegusi (Egusi Soup)      Origin: Nigeria
Nigerian Goat Stew      Origin: Nigeria	Obe Ewe Koko (Egusi and Cocoyam Leaf Soup)      Origin: Nigeria

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