![]() ![]() Asparagus are the shoots of the plant, and the tip would develop leaves that look like ferns if left in the field long enough.Ĭarrots, radishes, beets and many other root vegetables are the swollen tap root of the plant. The choke of the artichoke - the prickly, fuzzy stuff above the artichoke’s heart that you regret eating almost immediately - ultimately becomes the gorgeous purple flower of the artichoke plant.Ĭabbage, Brussels sprouts, lettuce, kale and chard are all made up of leaf tissue and, if left alone long enough, the plant will flower. Artichokes are also flowers that have yet to bloom. Cauliflower is very underdeveloped, which is why it’s so tightly bound up compared to broccoli. What other parts of plants are edible?īroccoli and cauliflower are both immature flowers of the plant. Peppers are also botanically considered a fruit but would be grown by a vegetable specialist.Īvocados are a fruit - the pit inside is a giant seed. Pumpkins and other squash contain seeds, so they are botanically considered a fruit. But, if you are also munching on the pod, then you’re eating both the fruit and the seed. Peas and beans are a bit trickier, because if you just eat what’s inside the pod, you’re eating the seed. ![]() This category includes items many consider to be vegetables, including squash, tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, eggplant and avocados. So let’s dig into the more botanical classifications of some of our favorite foods, because there are a few that might surprise you.įirst, anything that contains the seeds of the plant is a fruit, not a vegetable. ![]() When you break it down botanically, the definition of a vegetable gets fuzzy - and you wind up in arguments with your trivia group about whether a pumpkin is a fruit or a vegetable. And a vegetable specialist growing tomatoes, peppers and eggplant would grow those items similarly, even though all three of them are fruits, botanically speaking,” he added.ĭid you catch that? Scientifically, tomatoes, peppers and eggplants are all fruits. “A fruit specialist would work with peaches, apples and oranges, all of which require the same skill sets when growing them. “Though there are exceptions, veggies tend to be managed as annual crops, while fruits are more often perennials grown on bushes or trees,” Coolong said. “A vegetable is a food item used to complement other items in a main dish, while a fruit would generally be consumed by itself as a snack or as a dessert,” Coolong said.įrom a research and grower perspective, the difference is more about how they are grown. University of Georgia Cooperative Extension vegetable specialist Tim Coolong explains that the definition of a vegetable varies depending on how scientific you want to get.įrom a consumer perspective, the difference between a vegetable and a fruit is how the item is consumed. So, when is a vegetable actually a fruit - or a root or a shoot? The situation informs the definition However, there’s long been confusion around what is a vegetable versus a fruit - tomatoes, we’re looking at you. Department of Agriculture recommends that people eat five to nine servings of fruits and vegetables per day. The effects of the following operations shall not be considered as changing a commodity into a food of a different kind or character: Water, steam, or oil blanching, battering, coating, chopping, color adding, curing, cutting, dicing, drying for the removal of surface moisture fumigating, gassing, heating for insect control, ripening and coloring removal of seed, pits, stems, calyx, husk, pods rind, skin, peel, et cetera polishing, precooling, refrigerating, shredding, slicing, trimming, washing with or without chemicals waxing, adding of sugar or other sweetening agents adding ascorbic acid or other agents to retard oxidation mixing of several kinds of sliced, chopped, or diced fruit or vegetables for packaging in any type of containers or comparable methods of preparation”.Tomatoes, the subject of the age-old argument: Are they a fruit or a vegetable?įrom an early age, we’re told by our parents to make sure we eat our vegetables. According to 7 CFR 46.2, fresh fruits and fresh vegetables include all produce in fresh form generally considered as perishable fruits and vegetables, whether or not packed in ice or held in common or cold storage, but does not include those perishable fruits and vegetables which have been manufactured into articles of food of a different kind or character. ![]()
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