When it comes to having a healthy diet, nothing is more important to remember than vegetables. Vegetables come in plenty of different shapes, sizes and colors, and they cover the entire alphabet.
If you’re thinking of vegetables alphabetically, you might overlook some of the vegetables that begin with the letter J – so we’ve created a handy list for you.
Try to think of some vegetables that begin with J and compare them to our list of vegetables. Here’s our picks of J starting vegetables!
Jalapeño Pepper
The jalapeño pepper is one of the most popular vegetables in the world. Hailing from Mexico and Southern areas of North America, the jalapeño has shot through the roof with popularity, and it comes as little surprise.
It has an amazing taste with the perfect balance of sweetness and spice and can be used as a way to enhance a whole host of different meals.
Jalapeños are best enjoyed in chili, on nachos with cheese, in a wrap like a burrito, on tacos or even in a sandwich!
Jalapeños are also a fantastic source of vitamins and minerals and have been known to help people out with their digestive and gut health.
The most common jalapeño is green, and the second most common is the red jalapeño pepper – both of which are tasty and a perfect addition to your snacks.
Jackfruit
The jackfruit looks like a pumpkin or chopped potato when it’s included in food dishes. It’s normal to see jackfruits being used as a replacement for potatoes or meats when someone is looking for a low calorie meal or for their vegan dietary requirements.
This makes perfect sense when you consider its origins are from the primarily vegetarian areas of India and in poorer areas of Brazil.
It can be a very bland vegetable but when included in things like stew, it can bulk out the meal and provide you with a very handy dose of water, vitamin C and minerals.
You can improve its bland taste by adding it to a salsa or liquid-meal like a soup to allow it to absorb the other flavors and tastes.
Its texture is very soft and similar to that of a potato – in fact, if it wasn’t for its distinct orange appearance when cooked, you would struggle to notice the difference.
Jamaican Hot Pepper
This pepper is one of the hottest you can eat, and it proves that with its huge numbers on the Scoville scale.
Often used as a way to spice up curries and other Caribbean dishes, this red pepper not only looks fiery but tastes that way too!
Anyone brave enough to take on this pepper will feel the fire all around their tongue and mouth and can feel tingling wherever the juices have landed.
In fact, most experts and culinary professionals suggest that you wear goggles and gloves when chopping and handling this pepper – because it’s possible to go blind if you get the juice in your eyes!
In some circumstances, this pepper has also been known to cause sudden heart attacks through the shock of the spice – so, if you’re planning to handle the heat, ensure you’re ready for it!
Much like the jalapeño though, its properties are beneficial for heart and gut health and can significantly improve blood pressure and cholesterol.
Jujube Fruit
Native to Asian areas of China and its surroundings, this is a type of date or stoned fruit that can be used as a snack or as a way to improve the size of a meal like a soup.
We’re including this fruit on our vegetable list due to its uses. It’s more often used in savory dishes as a type of vegetable, although it is specifically a fruit.
It has a rubbery type of texture and a unique taste to it. It changes between sweet and savory in your mouth and is loved by some and hated by others.
Jerusalem Artichoke
Despite its name, this vegetable is neither an artichoke nor does it originate from Jerusalem. It closely resembles an artichoke though and this is why it gets its name.
It looks knobbly and almost like it’s inedible – but this is far from the case! It has a meaty/potato texture inside with its white insides, which is the best bit of this vegetable.
You can fry these up and make some very organic snacks to watch sports with – or you can include the insides as part of a salad or pasta dish.
Whichever way you choose to enjoy this vegetable – you can be sure that you’re getting the vitamins and minerals that your body needs to function correctly!
Jicama
The Jicama or Mexican potato grows mainly throughout the Southernmost points of North America like Mexico, but also throughout South America and Central America.
It can be enjoyed in a multitude of ways, and you may be surprised to learn that you may have already eaten this!
A lot of potato chip producers utilize this vegetable for their products, and they’re easily prepared and cooked in the same way you can expect from your usual potato.
These can be fried, boiled, steamed or mashed to make the most amazing meals and when they are correctly seasoned, they have a taste that is often unmatched.
Full of carbohydrate energy, this vegetable can keep you going in the most difficult of times and of course, it’s also full of potassium and water – as you’d get from an Idaho potato.
Jojoto
The jojoto is a type of corn that is produced throughout South America, primarily in Venezuela. It is packed with nutrients and water, essential for our normal bodily functions and has a great, crunchy taste!
Slightly different from corn that we may be used to, it has a smokier taste to it and is ideal as part of a barbecue snack when smothered in butter or hot sauce!
Enjoy this vegetable with cold or hot foods and make them an addition to things like nachos, spaghetti bolognese or burritos.
Jewish Asparagus
This asparagus falls under the umbrella category of a legume and is best enjoyed with creamy dishes. As asparagus has a very distinct and strong flavor and smell to it, creamed cheese is often a popular sauce to cover the vegetable in.
Rich in vitamin B and vitamin D, this vegetable can also contribute to your overall digestive health and some experts have suggested that it can help with conditions like dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.
Despite its name, this vegetable is typically used with non-Kosher dishes that include shellfish but can certainly be enjoyed with Kosher recipes.
Jamaican Cabbage
Jamaican cabbage is very similar to cabbage in our country – but its uses are much tastier. Jamaican steamed cabbage is typically
prepared with rosemary and thyme, and cooked with other fresh vegetables like turnips or parsnips – then coated with a hot sauce for a fiery pop!
Although it is not a separate species of cabbage, its uses and taste differentiate it from our own cabbage and that’s why we’re put this on our list.
Jamaican Okra
Jamaican Okra or Callaloo is technically a vegetable dish with a mix of all different kinds of vegetables.
The dish includes things like water spinach, peppers, tomatoes, onions, pumpkins and sometimes the Jamaican chefs will add seafood to add a bit of meat to the dish.
It’s then seasoned with salt, pepper and other chili powders and comes to life with a unique and flavorsome finish.
Julienne
Okay, so we’re taking a bit of artistic license with us – but hear us out! Julienne isn’t a type of vegetable, it’s not even a fruit… or a type of food for that matter!
Julienne however, is the process in which food is sliced into very thin strips – which vegetables are often prepared like, so that’s why we’re including this on our list.
As it can be difficult to get younger people to eat vegetables, this process is most suggested by food experts and child psychologists
because the size makes them easier to manage, and it allows children to try these vegetables in smaller portions before they decide if they like them or not.
Is It Important To Eat These Vegetables?
It sure is! Although everything comes down to personal taste, you should try your best to include as many vegetables into your diet as possible, within suggested guidelines.
They are a sustainable source of food and are packed with vitamins, minerals and water – all of which are vital to our health!
The Bottom Line
There aren’t that many vegetables out there that begin with the letter J, but the ones out there definitely have their own unique flavors and uses.
Try to get as many of these vegetables into your meals as you can. Happy cooking!
The majority of people who have no interest in the subject, and aren’t green fingered assume that all plants and vegetables require the same growing conditions. This is not the case at all. Each plant has its own unique and interesting history and growing process.
I hope you will find The Natural List useful, and that it will help educate you on the wide variety of different flower and plant species there are across the globe.
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