3. Lovage
This leafy green vegetable resembles celery in appearance and taste, but the flavor of lovage is a bit more potent. Chefs are preparing lovage in salads, stews and even desserts, using its stalks, leaves and seeds to add a bold vegetal accent. The dessert menu at JuneBaby in Seattle lists Grandma’s Pound Cake with lovage ice cream, and Five Fifty-Five in Portland, Maine, serves up a chicken pate with rhubarb compote, orange and lovage marmalade.