Greens party. (Right Stuff).

Nutrition experts love to talk about "dark leafy greens," which deliver so many nutrients--vitamins A, C, and K, folic acid, calcium, magnesium, and iron--for so few calories.

But spinach is as close as most people get to dark leafy greens, and some never get beyond romaine lettuce. Yet kale, collards, and others are right there in the produce section. Many people pass them by, not sure how to pick, clean, cook, or store them. No more.

Del Monte now packages pre-cut, pre-washed Collards, Kale, Mustard, and Turnip Greens in handy plastic bags. There's no dirt to wash off or fibrous stems to hack away. Just heat and eat.

Try sauteing them in a little olive oil and fresh garlic. Or add fresh ginger, some lite soy sauce, and a few drops of sesame oil. Cooking time: four minutes, max.

Del Monte's Web site (www.freshdelmonte.com) has a few good recipes. You can even try a traditional recipe using turkey bacon instead of pork. Just remember that greens cook down to about a quarter of their raw volume. And keep them out of aluminum pots or pans, which can turn them brown.

Washed and bagged salads made salad-eaters out of people who never fixed their own. Maybe washed and bagged greens can do the same for kale and collards.

Del Monte: [phone].