All AboutVegetables!

After today, you will be able to select, prepare, and store vegetables safely and properly

Let’s get started!

Defining Vegetables

Vegetables are colorful, flavorful and nutritious.

Hundreds of different kinds can be prepared in many different ways.

You need 3-5 servings from the Vegetable Group each day.

Forms of Vegetables

FreshFrozenCanned

Fresh veggies have the most nutrients.

Buying Vegetables

Fresh vegetables are sold loose or in packages.

Signs of freshness:–Solid-should feel heavy in relation to its

size.–Good color- not too pale or too dark.–Crisp or firm.– In good condition-no decay, soft spots

or damage.

Buying for the Season

FALL- squash, cauliflower, garlic, ginger, mushroom, pumpkin, sweet potatoes

WINTER- kale, leeks, radishes, rutabaga and turnips

SPRING- artichokes, asparagus, carrots, chives, fava beans, fennel, mustard greens, potatoes, spinach, lettuce, sugar snap peas and onions.

SUMMER-beets, broccoli, cabbage, corn, cucumber, eggplant, green beans, squash, tomatoes and zucchini

Saves money and Fresher Food

StoringMost vegetables should be refrigerated as soon

as you bring them home.

If they’re wet, shake off the excess water. Too much moisture can make it spoil faster.

Don’t wash them until you are ready to prepare or eat

Potatoes and onions should be stored separately in a cool, dry, dark area.

Frozen vegetables are available to buy packaged individually or mixed.

Canned vegetables are available whole, sliced, or in pieces.

Already cooked. Only need to be reheated according to directions.

Preparing Raw Vegetables

Wash them to remove dirt and harmful bacteria.

Using cold water, and sometimes a brush.

Cut damaged spots and parts that can’t be eaten.

Cooking Vegetables

Cooking makes them easier to chew and digest.

Lose few nutrients

Stay bright in color

Are tender and crisp

Have a mild, mellow flavor.

• Steaming- One of the most healthy ways to cook, because fewer nutrients are lost since vegetable is not in water-Vegetable is cooked over, not in, water to help

prevent nutrient loss

• Simmering- about ½ cup of water in saucepan, cover and bring to a boil. Add veggies, cover and simmer until tender

-Do not use aluminum or copper pans (minerals react with sulfur compounds in veggies, resulting in loss of vitamin C, E and Folic Acid)

• Microwaving- Cooks food quickly, using only a small amount of water. Keeps nutrients, color, texture and flavor.

-pierce skinned vegetables with a fork, to avoid vegetable from bursting-Always cover containers to keep in moisture

• Baking- Vegetables with a high moisture content bake in an oven. • Winter squash, potatoes and sweet potatoes• Pared whole vegetables such as carrots, onions,

and potatoes can be baked in the same pan as a roast, but adds fat

• Frying- Most vegetables are capable of being sautéed, stir fried, and deep fried.

• Sautéed- sometimes done before a recipe to bring out the flavor

Both of these methods (frying and sauté)are used with oil, which adds fat and calories to the vegetables. Especially with deep fried

vegetables.

Parts of the Plant

Fruit

Flowers

Roots

Seeds

Leaves

Stems

Flower

Stem

Roots

Leaves

Fruit

Seeds

What Part Of The Plant Do You Eat???

RootsThey are the

pathways for water to travel from the soil to the plant;

they store nutrients.

They also anchor the plant in the

ground.

Two categories * BULBS- onions, radishes and garlic

*TUBERS- carrots and potatoes

High in starch and calories.

Ex: Onions, Carrots, Potatoes, Radishes, Garlic, Turnips, and Beets

StemsThey support the plant.

Slender stalks are more tender.

They are high in water and low in calories

Ex: Celery and Asparagus

Leaves

They capture the sunlight to make the food for the

plant (photosynthesis)

The darker the leaves the higher

the nutrient content.

They are high in water and low in

calories.

Ex: Spinach, Lettuce, Cabbage, Brussel Sprouts,

and Sprouts.

Flowers

These are the blooms of the

plant.

They are high in water and low in

calories.

Ex: Cauliflower, Broccoli and

Artichoke

QUICK DEBATE!

Is a TOMATO a Fruit or a Vegetable!?

Let’s Think…

It has a thin layer of smooth skin and seeds inside like a pome…

It has a fragile cell structure like a berry…

Sometimes it has a sweeter taste than most vegetables do…

The answer is…

Technically…it’s BOTH!

Scientifically speaking…the tomato is a fruit due to its structure and physical characteristics as well as the part of the plant it comes from (the fruit of the plant). It can be classified as a berry because of its fragile structure

and amount of seeds inside.

In the culinary world…a tomato is classified as a vegetable because it is used in savoury dishes rather than

sweet ones. Savoury is defined as salty or spicy which represents the tomato's flavor in most foods.

So technically speaking, the tomato IS the FRUIT of the tomato plant but it is used as a VEGETABLE in cooking.

Do you know other fruits that are mistaken as vegetables?

-Avocado

-Eggplant

-Cucumber

-Squash

-Peppers

-Olives

-Pumpkins

Fruit

They contain the seeds of the plant.

They are not sweet like the

foods we call fruit.

They are high in water and low in

calories.

Ex: Tomatoes, Cucumbers,

Eggplant, Bell Peppers, Other

Peppers, Pumpkin, Squash, and Green Beans

SeedsThey store

nutrients so that other plants can

be grown.

They are high in starch and high in

calories.

Ex: Peas, Corn, Sunflower Seeds, and Lima Beans

Create a Vegetable!

Using your notes about the different parts of the plant, create a new or hybrid vegetable

Ex: Cucumber plus a Carrot = Cu-arrot

Make sure you use class time wisely! The winner will be determined on who used time in class best as well!!

Be creative! Make it colorful!! The pair with the best creation will win a prize!

…it’s a surprise