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She grows peppers, tomatoes and cucumbers, along with leafy callaloo — similar to collard greens in Black Southern cuisine.

During a recent family getaway to Jamaica, I devoured at least one helping of callaloo every day.

Callaloo is both the name of a dish, a staple all over the Caribbean, and the vegetable it is made with — the leafy greens from amaranth, taro and other plants, depending on the region.

Throughout my stay, I enjoyed callaloo at breakfast, lunch and dinner, prepared various ways — always with onions, scallions, garlic, thyme and a bit of Scotch bonnet pepper, but sometimes simmered with tomatoes, or with bits of red bell pepper or shaved carrot, and sometimes topped with crispy bits of bacon.

Because I enjoyed the way bits of stem added texture to the callaloo dishes I tried, I included the tender stems of the greens I used, too.