I approach each season as an opportunity to feast on new flavors. So while I am sad to see fresh tomatoes and peppers leave my family's table (just as I am sad to see my summer tan fade), I am equally happy to enter into the heart of autumn's bounty.

Rainbow chard; huge collards; tender spinach; delicate and crispy lettuces; purple, green, and savoy cabbages; brussels sprouts; cauliflower; broccoli; and various delightful potatoes are all still available from local fields and gardens.

Few vegetables offer the nutritional value and health benefits of dark leafy greens - and even the lighter-colored greens are full of fiber, vitamins, and antioxidant phyto-chemicals.

Many varieties of sweet potatoes just coming to market offer their own nutritional benefits while providing a sweet counterpoint to more savory ingredients, and a splash of fall color to the plate.

Many fall vegetables such as parsnips, turnips, carrots, kale, and collards gain sweetness after a nip of frost in the fields. Others are harvested before the imminent frost, but store well and continue to be sold to be eaten fresh throughout the late fall and winter.

Greens are an integral part of many traditional dishes from almost every country.

They are found simmered in hearty stews and sautéed in quick stir-fries. Once you learn how to purchase and prepare greens - especially older greens, so they are not bitter - you will enjoy adding these tasty and healthful ingredients to your weekly menu.

So consider some of these easy ideas for using fall greens and other veggies in your everyday cooking.

Tender greens: Escarole, spinach, and young Swiss chard

Add roughly cut greens for the last 5 to 15 minutes of cooking any rich brothy chicken soup, vegetable, or meat stew. Truly tender young spinach can be added to the serving bowl and the hot broth or stew ladled on top.

Sauté greens with garlic until soft and use in an omelet, or serve atop creamy polenta with toasted walnuts or alongside grilled fish or meat.

All sautéed greens tastes great with crispy fried potato cubes tossed in at the last minute.

Creamed spinach or chard is an easy way to get anyone to eat their greens. (Make a simple béchamel: In a 10-inch sauté pan, melt 1 tablespoon butter with two minced garlic cloves, add 1 tablespoon of flour, and whisk until smooth. Add ¾ cup of milk, and cook until thickened. Season with red pepper flakes, black pepper, salt, and a grating of nutmeg. Add chopped, lightly cooked chard or spinach - even a bag of frozen chopped spinach- and cook until hot. Taste and adjust seasonings.)

Kale and older chard

Remove tough stems and any tough outer leaves. Coarsely chop the remaining leaves (and tender chard stems) and sauté in olive oil in into which you've first tossed a few cloves of chopped garlic, a large pinch of fennel seeds, and hot pepper flakes. Cook covered until tender. Season with salt and pepper. Use these cooked greens as a layer in a lasagna; stuff into some pizza dough along with roasted peppers, mozzarella, and ricotta for a flavorful weeknight stromboli; or serve as a side topped with grilled sausages or chicken.

Lightly brown one large chopped onion and several cloves of garlic. Add a drained and rinsed can of garbanzo beans, a bunch of chopped kale or chard, a can of crushed or chopped tomatoes, and a minced carrot. Cook until the carrot and kale are tender. The carrot adds a sweet counterpoint to the bitter kale, and this hearty dish is great in a vegetarian meal featuring a cheesy twice-baked potato.

Collards

Collards also have very tough stems that should be removed before cooking. They are usually slow-cooked to a tender "mess o' greens" - if the collards are young and tender, they can be sautéed, but often they are larger and tough and benefit from cooking in liquid.

Most traditional recipes call for cooking collards with ham hocks or lard. My alternative is to cook in vegetable or chicken broth and season well with lots of pepper and salt, and a bit of brown sugar and vinegar.

Find a nice local smoked turkey leg or wing to include in the pot, and the smoky meatiness is a great compliment to the collard flavor.