1. Use common produce in uncommon ways
While diners might be used to finding tomatillos in Mexican food, Kurt Kwiatkowski, corporate chef for culinary services at Michigan State University, says he’s had fun using the small green tomato cousins in applications other than salsa, such as a house pickle. “We have also found great success with something grown here in Michigan in great abundance, which is kohlrabi,” he says. From salads to slaws to pakora, a deep-fried Indian snack, “we have seen people embrace and enjoy eating [kohlrabi dishes].”