Suggest me a Vegetable!
- Thread starter Kpt._Rob
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Again, you seem to think that because you were taught something that means that it's objective fact. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that in Nix v. Hedden that though tomatoes are botanically fruits, for the purposes of taxation and labeling they are vegetables. Subsequent cases continue this line of reasoning, that a product of agriculture's use in society is what defines it as being a fruit or vegetable in common parlance and legality, not botanical classification.
Botanical fruits are not necessarily culinary fruits. If you're going to use a definition which deviates from common parlance, you should explain it if you want to avoid confusion.
Botanical fruits are not necessarily culinary fruits. If you're going to use a definition which deviates from common parlance, you should explain it if you want to avoid confusion.
The definition I'm using, while botanically based, is nutritionally important. If I may elaborate, and copy and paste an earlier reply I made to someone... Vegetables are any edible part of the plant that isn't a seed or meant to carry a seed. So stalks (like asparagus), leaves (lettuce for instance), or roots (carrots) are all vegetables. Seeds like nuts and grains (corn for instance) aren't considered vegetables. And parts of the plant designed to carry seeds (everything from apples to squash) are fruits. This is the construction responsible for the infamous tomato being a fruit instead of a vegetable, and the fact that it's not taught is why there is so much confusion as to what is and is not a fruit. Nutritionally this is also important. Fruits are often high in sugars and other things to make them taste good so that animals will eat them. Seeds are very high in caloric content because they are meant to provide nutrients to a newly germinated plant. Vegetables on the other hand are the part we should be eating the most of, because while the other parts contain more nutrients, the truth is that most Westerners actually have far too many nutrients in their diets (specifically, we have far too many nutrients from a specific type of industrialized corn, from which the vast majority of our foods is made [even the meat we eat is mostly corn fed unless you're buying from a farmer's market, the only meat you can be relatively certain is good for you is small oily fish, like sardines. And even then you have to make sure that they were properly prepared.]). What makes vegetables so valuable is that they provide enough nutrients, but are also high enough in fiber that they make us feel full without being fattening.Dags90 said:
As for why I didn't post my definition to begin with, I thought it would be more fun for discussion purposes to expose the things we thought were vegetables but weren't, one at a time. If you give the definition away to start with, you take some of the fun out of it.
I second the corn on the cob suggestion. Also, Squash, Zuchinni, and Cabbage are all great, as long as you don't boil them. The best way to cook them -- and it's the same for all three -- is to sautee them in butter with a very little bit of water, and just let the juices cook out of them. (By squash, I mean the yellow, fleshy stuff. This won't work for the ones that have a hard outer shell.)
Basically, start by melting about a third of a stick of butter in a large pot. Put about half a chopped onion in there, cook it until it clarifies. Then add a little bit of water (seriously, just enough to cover the bottom of the pan), and the sliced Zuchinni and/or squash, and cook it on a low heat, stirring often enough that it doesn't scorch. Add salt and pepper to taste, and it'll be done when the zuchinni/squash is so soft that it's runny. There will be a lot of water in the pan when you're done, because it will have all cooked out of the squash. If you boil it it stays in the plant, and you wind up with a tough, nasty mess.
The same thing applies to cabbage, except it doesn't have to be cooked down quite as much -- use your own judgement about how crunchy you like your green vegetables.
P.S.: Yes, I know that Zuchinni and Squash are both technically fruit. Trust me, they eat like a vegetable.
Basically, start by melting about a third of a stick of butter in a large pot. Put about half a chopped onion in there, cook it until it clarifies. Then add a little bit of water (seriously, just enough to cover the bottom of the pan), and the sliced Zuchinni and/or squash, and cook it on a low heat, stirring often enough that it doesn't scorch. Add salt and pepper to taste, and it'll be done when the zuchinni/squash is so soft that it's runny. There will be a lot of water in the pan when you're done, because it will have all cooked out of the squash. If you boil it it stays in the plant, and you wind up with a tough, nasty mess.
The same thing applies to cabbage, except it doesn't have to be cooked down quite as much -- use your own judgement about how crunchy you like your green vegetables.
P.S.: Yes, I know that Zuchinni and Squash are both technically fruit. Trust me, they eat like a vegetable.
I'm quite fond of cucumbers, carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, tomatoes, peppers (not the chilli ones) and radish.
Good gods you are awful...but I laughed, yes I did.Lexodus said:
Courgette. Yeah it's probably a fruit, but fried lightly with a bit of butter and some herbs and it will liven up ANY meal.
Potatoes! They're like a light brown rune of delicious awesomeness!
(Please nobody make any poop jokes)
(Please nobody make any poop jokes)
Hooray for useless information! but then again you never know when aliens will invade and abduct you to quiz you on bannanas and plants in general... so taking that into account let the useless veggie facts continue!Byere said:
-EDIT- i dont really like vegetables though potatoes are nice especially baby sweet potatoes.
say potatoes in a terrible irish accent. see its fun isn't it... or is that just me... oh well, potatoes!!!
I think in the context of this discussion it would be better to classify things based on nutritional value; which the FDA never does, though they should because they currently classify french fries as a vegetable in school lunches. While potatoes are vegetables, they are nutritionally far closer to a grain. From this perspective I think bell peppers are closer to a vegetable. I don't know or care how the government classifies them for tax purposes, but they really need to get their act together as far as nutrition goes.Dags90 said:
Don't eat Eggplant in the next couple milleniums. It looks awesome, sadly it isn't.
Anyway, Cauliflower looks like a good option goin from what you like.
Anyway, Cauliflower looks like a good option goin from what you like.
