We often overlook the barrel-shaped, white-leafed cabbage with green tips known as won bok, napa or celery cabbage. But what would kim chee be without it? And when was the last time you used it for a salad?

Won bok is a cabbage but different from the round heads we use for cole slaw. It is more delicate in flavor, fluffy and lightly crisp with a higher water content. It is well suited for salads since it does not wilt as quickly as delicate lettuces when it is dressed. And it’s a vegetable that holds up well in soups, stews and braised dishes, absorbing flavors and tenderizing as its cooks.

Grown in cooler-climate areas like Wai­mea on the Big Island, won bok heads should be tightly packed and firm with no dried tips. Trim the bottom and cut the head in half lengthwise before slicing into thin shreds for salads or wider strips for stir fries, soups or braised dishes. Adding won bok to your repertoire of greens is a good thing.

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Hawaii food writer Joan Namkoong offers a weekly tidbit on fresh seasonal products, many of them locally grown. Look for "Fresh Tips" every Wednesday in the Star-Advertiser.