Dtwclipper From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 2, posted (7 years 11 months 5 days 5 hours ago) and read 3727 times:
The answer depends on who you are: a scientist? a greengrocer? I'll give you the botanist's answer:
A fruit is the ripened (swollen) ovary of a flower. The ovary ripens when the ovules inside have been fertilized. Seeds of flowering plants always are found inside fruits.
Botanists generally don't use the word vegetable to mean a plant or even a plant part. The basic parts are roots, stems, leaves flowers/fruit/seeds. Vegetable is a grocery store term: Tomatoes are called vegetables to distinguish them from the sweeter fruits like peaches. Carrots are called vegetables but the part we eat is of course a root.
In horticulture people talk about growing "flowers and vegetables" but that doesn't really make sense: tomatoes and peppers are flowering plants!
Budyboy From United States of America, joined May 2005, 64 posts, RR: 0 Reply 3, posted (7 years 11 months 5 days 3 hours ago) and read 3707 times:
And interestingly, tomatoes are fruits. But people think they are vegetables anyway. And many many years ago people thought they were poisonous and lots of Italians think they came from Italy, when in fact they originate in South America. How about that for some totally useless information.
FlyAUA From Austria, joined May 2005, 4604 posts, RR: 57 Reply 4, posted (7 years 11 months 5 days 3 hours ago) and read 3705 times:
Quoting Dtwclipper (Reply 2): A fruit is the ripened (swollen) ovary of a flower. The ovary ripens when the ovules inside have been fertilized. Seeds of flowering plants always are found inside fruits.
What about courgettes or eggplants? They have seeds on the inside and they are vegetables...
FriendlySkies From United States of America, joined Aug 2004, 4017 posts, RR: 5 Reply 5, posted (7 years 11 months 5 days 3 hours ago) and read 3694 times:
It has to do iwh the part of the plant they are. A fruit is something that the plant "produces" such as berries, or tomatoes. Any other part you eat is a vegetable. At least that's how I think of it...I don't know any fruits that grow out of the ground, they are always attached to a leaf or a vine or something, where in some cases a vegetable could be the entire plant.
OzarkD9S From United States of America, joined Oct 2001, 4684 posts, RR: 23 Reply 7, posted (7 years 11 months 5 days 2 hours ago) and read 3682 times:
The old wive's tale I always heard was fruit are produced above ground and vegetables below.
Fokker Lover From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 8, posted (7 years 11 months 5 days 2 hours ago) and read 3673 times:
Completely unscientific on my part, but here goes my opinion. Remember it's just an opinion.
I consider it a fruit if we are inclined to spit out or not eat the seeds for actual nutrition. Watermelon, pumpkins, cucumbers, zucchini, strawberries, tomatoes, apples, stuff like that.
I consider it a vegetable if we eat the root, leaves, or seeds for nutrition.
Corn, peas, beans, lettuce, carrots, and eggplant.
Using my own philosophy, I will now have to consider peppers a fruit, and not a vegetable. I guess that's why we call it setting the fruit while growing peppers.
FriendlySkies From United States of America, joined Aug 2004, 4017 posts, RR: 5 Reply 10, posted (7 years 11 months 5 days 2 hours ago) and read 3657 times:
Salad isn't a vegetable, it's a dish. Lettuce is a vegetable.
Venezuela747 From United States of America, joined Jan 2004, 1409 posts, RR: 5 Reply 14, posted (7 years 11 months 4 days 17 hours ago) and read 3595 times:
Its gotta do with seeds, fruits have them....vegeteable don't
And before anyone asks the questions..here is the answer...yes seedless watermelon is still a fruit........We all got a pretty good laugh in my AP bio class when I asked that
Sprout5199 From United States of America, joined Feb 2005, 1783 posts, RR: 2 Reply 21, posted (7 years 11 months 4 days 8 hours ago) and read 3536 times:
Quoting ZKSUJ (Reply 16): Fruits come in a can, veges don't usually.
Here in the States, we have canned everything. fruits, veggies, meat, and even some stuff that I dont know if its vegetable,mineral, or what(SPAM)
Srbmod From United States of America, joined Mar 2001, 16896 posts, RR: 51 Reply 23, posted (7 years 11 months 4 days 2 hours ago) and read 3479 times:
TedTAce From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 24, posted (7 years 11 months 4 days 1 hour ago) and read 3472 times:
Quoting Srbmod (Reply 23): Vegetables give you less of a struggle.......
Unless they are a 'bottom' like a certain fruit we know..they they are quite willing from what Fred told me
25 Blackbird1331: TedTace: Great post Now I know why some people do not like their veggies. My contribution to this discussion is that, all foods are "fruits" of the ea
26 Comorin: Everybody missed the obvious: Fruits are SWEET, and Vegetables are NOT! Now tell me, is it FRUIT or FRUITS?
28 STLGph: ted-- that is a miraculous picture. wherever did you get it. and less of a headache when you're just trying to have a good time amongst friends.
29 TedTAce: I think Diamond gets the WELL DESERVED credit for it!!!
30 Sidewinder: I think my wife and I had our first fight over the tomato fruit thing. Another good one is...whats the difference between a yam and sweet potato?
31 Airlinelover: One will clog you up the other will clean you out.. Chris
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