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This list probably never will be complete, as there is so much more to add, including recipes that use the following ingredients and methods. I obtain most of my images for now from Wikipedia. If you encounter a link to an item used in cooking (like pots and pans), they're probably affiliate links. If you purchase from that affiliate link, it benefits this site and it doesn't come out of your pocket. Many thanks! 

Acidulated water: If you don't want the flesh of your apples, pears, or other fruits and vegetables to turn brown when they experience prolonged exposure to air, you can soak them in acidulated water as soon as you cut those foods. Recipe is 1 part acid (usually lemon or 5% vinegar) to 5-6 parts water.

Adjust, to: This term, in cooking, simply means to taste a dish after it has cooked a while or is almost finished to see if you need to add anything else to liven the dish, such as seasonings.

Al dente: If you have a noodle or vegetable dish requesting this finish, it means to cook those noodles or vegetables just to the point of doneness. In other words, the foods will have some resistance (called "percussion") when chewed. In Italian, this term means, literally, to the tooth.

Allspice: A pungent blend of cloves, cinnamon, and nutmeg. While this spice is great for tomato sauces and holiday treats, it is especially favorable for pickling. Sometimes used as part of the French quatre épices used in pâté, this mixture includes pepper, cloves, ginger, and nutmeg. So, if you use allspice, all you'll need is pepper for your pâté. You can purchase this spice whole or ground. Store in an airtight container away from light and heat. While ground spice can stay pungent for more than six months, the whole berries last even longer. Prepare the berries in a coffee mill grinder, minichopper, or pestle and mortar. Purchase Spicy World Whole Allspice Berries 14 Oz Resealable Bag at Amazon.

Almonds: You can use almonds for a variety of dishes, including using them as the main incredient in almond butters and almond milk. Almonds come bitter or sweet, but only the sweet variety is sold in the U.S., as the bitter almond contains toxic prussic acid. Buy nuts as fresh as possible. You can store unshelled almonds in the freezer for up to six months (thaw before using), and shelled almonds in airtight containers in the fridge or another cool place for several months. Search through a variety of almonds and almond products at Amazon.

Angelica: This large perennial herb is native to New Zealand and to the Northern Hemisphere. The root is mainly used in the making of cordials and liquueurs such as Benedictine and Dubonnet, and it is one of the most important aromatics used in gin. It is not grown commercially, but when used in a commercial process the hollow green stalks usually are candied for use in breads, cookies, and fruitcakes.  Home grown or wild, the stalks candied in sugar syrup are available from specialty food sources or from a bakers' supply outlet. Keep in the freezer indefinitely, but once unfrozen you should use the stalks within a week or so. Search this page at Amazon to find angelica seeds (even heirloom) and products.

Anise: You'll find this annual herb available commercially as a seed, which you can grind at home. With a licrorice-like flavor, anise seeds (also called aniseed) can be a welcome addition to cabbage slaw, pickles, or European sweets such as biscotti. Keep the seeds in an airtight container away from light and heat. If you need ground anise, use a coffee grinder, minichopper, or pestle and mortar. You can find anise seeds for growing and for the kitchen at Amazon.

Apple: Of the thousands of classified varieties of this fruit, less than 20 are available commercially in the U.S. You can purchase fresh apples in bulk or singly, and you can also buy them canned as apple-pie filling, for example, or in jars as applesauce. The best times to purchase fresh apples are...

• Gravenstein and Astrachan apples are harvested in July and August, so they are the earliest varieties available in any given year.
• Late varieties begin and September and continue through November.
• All other apples availabe between November and June are controlled-storage apples.

More about apples here (coming soon).

Apricot: Apricots are fruits of a tree native to China. While they are eaten out of hand during harvesting season (May-July), you can find them canned or dried during the rest of the year. You can use ripe apricots immediately, or refrigerate for up to three days in a plastic bag. You can riped firm apricots by keeping them in a paper bag in a warm room. Dried apricots can keep indefinitely stored in a plastic bag in the refrigerator crisper. If you want to peel an apricot, drop one into boiling water for 10 seconds, then transfer with a slotted spoon to ice water. The skin will slip off, then you can cut it in half and remove the pit.

Arrowroot: Arrowroot is a starchy powder developed from a tropical rhizome that is eaten as a vegetable by people in China and in the Caribbean. Used as a low-temperature thickening agent for soups, sauces, stews, and desserts, arrowroot keeps indefinitely in a cool, dry place. Usually, one part powder is dissolved in two parts water before adding to the recipe. One tablespoon of arrowroot can equal three tablespoons of flour or four and one-half tablespoons cornstarch. If the dish is to be reheated, the arrowroot will not hold up.

Artichoke: The only edible part of this tall plant is the very heart of the green globe at the top, which is how that variety obtained its name. Smaller hearts can be eaten whole when cooked, but the larger hearts require the removal of a fuzzy interior choke. This is not the Jerusalem artichoke, by the way. That's another food altogether. Artichokes are sold in the can, jar, fresh, marinated, or frozen, and they usually are available all year. When purchasing fresh, avoid browning or light weight. You want to find hefty artichokes with tight leaves. You can store artichokes in a plastic container for up to four days in the refrigerator.

Arugula: Arugula, also known as rocket, rugola, roquette, and Italian cress, is a delicate Mediterranean salad green. The leaves are tender and nutty, and much tastier when small. Larger leaves tend to be hot and mustardy, which is not as delicate. The tiny white blossoms also are edible. This herb is available year around, but the freshest and daintiest leaves are available usually in the spring or fall. Store in a plastic bag or container in the refrigerator crisper and do not wash until ready to use. Another way to store for a few days is to cut a bit off the ends and stick the bunch in a glass of water. I've kept them on a windowsill like this for up to four days. Change the water every day, and use distilled if possible.

Asparagus: I remember tasting my first wild asparagus in Colorado, and it was delicious, even raw. A member of the lily family, the edible portion is the stalk and the "bud" at the top. This plant is available fresh, frozen, or canned, including whole spears or just tips. The best and freshest crop comes between March and June. Do not buy limp asparagus, as the taste may be bitter. White or green spears are fine, as long as they are crisp. White spears are babies that haven't seen much sun. They taste the same as their green counterparts. Cut the bottom ends and place the asparagus in water in the refrigerator or wrap a paper towel around the ends and place them in a plastic container in the crisper. Either way, they can keep for up to a week.

Avocado: The avocado has become one of America's favorite fats to consume since the popularity of the Mediterranean diet began in the 1980s. It's a pear-shaped fruit with a variety of skin types that surround buttery yellow-green flesh and a large dark brown seed. Some varieties have a smooth skin, others, like Hass, have a pebbly skin that turns black when ripening. Because the fruit can be held on the tree for several months without ripening, this fruit is generally available all year. When you bring an avocado home, you can put it in the refrigerator if you want to slow the ripening process. Conversely,  you can place it in a paper bag at room temperature to help speed up the ripening process. When you cut an avocado, you can sprinkle cut surfaces with lemon or lime juice to slow the browning process. If you want access to 1/2 of an avocado year-round and maybe once per week, you can buy frozen diced avocado that works really well in smoothies wasting the other half.  

Photo and Illustraton Credits: Photo of whole allspice berries by Jonathunder - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0.; Photo of an almond in a shell in an almond tree by antcaesar - DSC_0089, CC BY-SA 2.0, Link; Photo of anise illustration by Franz Eugen Köhler, Köhler's Medizinal-Pflanzen - List of Koehler Images, Public Domain; Photo of apricot cross-section by Fir0002 - Own work, GFDL 1.2; Photo of arugula used in a dish by Kgbo - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0; Photo of Hass avocado by Ivar Leidus - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0,