Post by Steve on Dec 22, 2017 22:11:32 GMT -8
You know you should eat more veggies, but do you know why?Have you ever wondered why kale gets all the attention while iceberg lettuce is ignored? There is more to know beyond whatevet Dr. Oz might mention. But first, a quick botany lesson:
When ketchup 〈Read the interesting origin of the words〉 (or catsup, if you prefer*) was designated a vegetable for the purposes of boosting nutrional content of school lunches (it happened. Check this!) it may have reinforced the idea that tomatoes were in fact vegetables. The shocking truth? They are fruit. Undeniably fruit.
Basic botany Factoid No.1: plants produce seeds, the structure that contains the seeds is the fruit. Every other part of the plant, from leaves to roots is a vegetable when used for food. But because tomatoes are typically treated as ingredients for savory dishes, it is considered a vegetable in the kitchen.
You're thinking you caught me. You're thinking "Okay smart guy, but a walnut is a seed and it sure isn't a fruit," right? Well, yes, nuts are fruit. Check this...
Now as you wander the produce aisle and stare at the variety of things you never buy, look closer to see what parts of plants are offered. Leaves are easy: spinach and kale, the maligned iceberg lettuce, and the celebrated parsley. Stems are represented by celery and rhubarb. Roots? Radishs, turnips, beets, and jicama. Growing underground doesn't always mean it's a root. Potatoes are stem vegetables that grow on stolons, underground stems. Then there are bulbs like garlic and onion. But I think we have this covered now.
So there is a quick class in plant parts, and I'm sure that was captivating. But wait, there's more...
Trick question: you have a strawberry, a jalapeño, and an apple (don't ask why, just play along.) You know they all have seeds, so you know they are all fruits. Please select the berry from that group to slice onto your Wheaties. Did you pick the strawberry? Yes? (imagine the sound of an annoying buzzer) Wrong! A strawberry is not a berry. It is an aggregate fruit. The little tan bits on the delicious red part are the seeds; the red part is a support device--the ovary of the flower. So the berry in the group is actually the jalapeño. Other berries include grapes, watermelon, and bananas. Isn't this fun? Read what defines a berry here...
Other aggregate fruits are blackberries, raspberries, and any other fruit with those little bumpy parts. And one more surprise: the pineapple. Look at a pineapple and see the puzzle pattern of the sections that make it look like an assembled fruit. Well, it is, and now you know why.
Okay, that's plenty botany. Pick up your merit badge at the door, and thanks for reading.
* Catsup or ketchup, what's the difference?
When ketchup 〈Read the interesting origin of the words〉 (or catsup, if you prefer*) was designated a vegetable for the purposes of boosting nutrional content of school lunches (it happened. Check this!) it may have reinforced the idea that tomatoes were in fact vegetables. The shocking truth? They are fruit. Undeniably fruit.
Basic botany Factoid No.1: plants produce seeds, the structure that contains the seeds is the fruit. Every other part of the plant, from leaves to roots is a vegetable when used for food. But because tomatoes are typically treated as ingredients for savory dishes, it is considered a vegetable in the kitchen.
You're thinking you caught me. You're thinking "Okay smart guy, but a walnut is a seed and it sure isn't a fruit," right? Well, yes, nuts are fruit. Check this...
Now as you wander the produce aisle and stare at the variety of things you never buy, look closer to see what parts of plants are offered. Leaves are easy: spinach and kale, the maligned iceberg lettuce, and the celebrated parsley. Stems are represented by celery and rhubarb. Roots? Radishs, turnips, beets, and jicama. Growing underground doesn't always mean it's a root. Potatoes are stem vegetables that grow on stolons, underground stems. Then there are bulbs like garlic and onion. But I think we have this covered now.
So there is a quick class in plant parts, and I'm sure that was captivating. But wait, there's more...
Trick question: you have a strawberry, a jalapeño, and an apple (don't ask why, just play along.) You know they all have seeds, so you know they are all fruits. Please select the berry from that group to slice onto your Wheaties. Did you pick the strawberry? Yes? (imagine the sound of an annoying buzzer) Wrong! A strawberry is not a berry. It is an aggregate fruit. The little tan bits on the delicious red part are the seeds; the red part is a support device--the ovary of the flower. So the berry in the group is actually the jalapeño. Other berries include grapes, watermelon, and bananas. Isn't this fun? Read what defines a berry here...
Other aggregate fruits are blackberries, raspberries, and any other fruit with those little bumpy parts. And one more surprise: the pineapple. Look at a pineapple and see the puzzle pattern of the sections that make it look like an assembled fruit. Well, it is, and now you know why.
Okay, that's plenty botany. Pick up your merit badge at the door, and thanks for reading.
* Catsup or ketchup, what's the difference?