Vegetables and mushrooms: seasonality, freshness, storage, safety, nutrition and cooking.
An artichoke that turns brown or nearly black shortly after cutting is usually undergoing enzymatic browning where the flesh meets air. If it was firm and sound before cutting, the quick surface color change does not mean it suddenly spoiled.
Wide-open leaves or dry tips usually mean an artichoke is overmature or has lost moisture, not that it is automatically rotten. If it is still firm, dry, and normal-smelling, it can be cooked, although the bracts and heart may be tougher and more fibrous.
A wrinkled or slightly flexible beet is often dehydrated rather than rotten. Cut it open: if the flesh is still firm, clean, and normal-smelling, it can be cooked; wet, mushy, slimy, moldy, or foul-smelling tissue means discard it.
White or pale circles inside a beet are usually a physiological growth pattern called zoning, not rot. If the root is firm, smells normal, and has no wet breakdown, mold, or mushy tissue, the rings themselves do not make it unsafe to eat.
A dry, spongy or hollow center in a radish usually reflects overmaturity and lost eating quality rather than rot. If the tissue is clean and dry it may still be eaten; watery softness, slime, mold, or an off odor are reasons to discard it.
Slightly dented or dry kernels usually mean sweet corn has lost moisture and peak freshness. If the cob still smells normal and has no slime, mold, wet decay, or fermented odor, it can be cooked, though it will be less juicy and tender.
A single dry brown layer in a leek can often be removed if the tissue underneath is firm and clean. A center that is wet, slimy, mushy, collapsing, or foul-smelling indicates deterioration; discard the leek when that damage is extensive.
Garlic that turns blue or green during cooking is usually undergoing a harmless color reaction between compounds naturally present in the cloves. If the garlic was firm, clean, and normal-smelling before cooking, the new color alone is not a reason to throw the dish away.
Dry, fibrous flesh usually points to age, maturity, or moisture loss. If the squash remains firm and clean-smelling without mold or wet decay, it can still be cooked, though the texture may be disappointing.
An onion that is watery or slimy inside has more than a freshness issue. A single dry damaged layer may be removed, but multiple soft, leaking, moldy, or foul-smelling layers are a reason to toss the bulb.
Sprouted onions are generally safe if the bulb itself is sound. The green shoot is edible too, but sprouting uses the bulb’s stored water and sugars, so texture and flavor usually decline.
A single dry brown ring can be peeled away if the rest of the onion is firm. Black powdery mold, wet or slimy layers, bad odor, or widespread internal damage means the bulb should be discarded.