Vegetable gardens are one of the easiest ways to grow vegetables in your yard. Most gardeners have at least some vegetable knowledge so it shouldn’t be too hard to find what you need. If you’re not sure what you want to grow, go to a garden center and check out what kinds of vegetables they offer. They may be able to give you some pointers on how to go about building your vegetable garden.
Vegetables are actually parts of green plants which are eaten by people or animals. The original meaning is now commonly used to describe plants together with edible fruit and is used to describe all edible plant material, including both the leaves, flowers, roots, and seeds. Many people are familiar with the vegetable part of this definition; they just don’t know that the edible part goes beyond just the fruits and vegetables. Vegetables can include fruit, stalks, leafy greens, roots, even potatoes and squash! Just try to get as broad an idea of what a vegetable is.
In our example we’ll be using tomatoes, so the term’vegetable’ is more appropriate than the word ‘fruit’. A vegetable is just a plant with a visible stem and leaves. Since these are much more common in the kitchen, we’ll use the term ‘appetite’ to describe them instead of ‘food’. An apple is an edible portion of a fruit but since the skin and seeds are also edible, it doesn’t technically qualify as a vegetable. A vegetable is usually covered with a thin layer of leaves or stems to hide the edible portion and may have a tough outer skin to protect the interior.
Of course we’re talking about cucumbers here, so let’s get more specific. A cucumber is a vegetable, but it’s also a fruit set (hence the name). A fruit set is simply a collection of grapes, melons, oranges or bananas. The best part is you can eat all the fruit set you want! That’s probably why they say, ‘eat all the fruit you like.’
Watermelons are considered vegetables because they have a stem and a soft, insubstantial center. Most people don’t consider watermelons vegetables, even though they come in many shapes, colors and sizes. A watermelon consists of a deep red or orange fruit with a black, watery center. Melons may be eaten raw or juiced. They are best eaten while still hot, which takes some practice if you’re not used to them.
Some other examples of edible portioned vegetables include aubergines, bell beans, peas, lima beans, onions, mushrooms, spinach, squash and sweet potatoes. All of these vegetables are high in vitamins, minerals and fiber. There are many recipes out there for great meals based on these fruits and vegetables. Vegetable soup, salads, vegetable pizzas and wraps are all really popular. You should start looking through your bookshelves and your cupboards right now and find some fresh vegetables and try them one at a time in your favorite recipes.