There is no Such Thing as a Vegetable!

What does it mean when describing food as a vegetable?  Learn some examples of plant parts we do not regularly use to describe vegetables from the (under)ground up to understand plant biology and develop a greater understanding of how to grow food.

In this article:

• There’s No Such Thing as a Vegetable 

• Vegetable Etymology  

• Vegetable Examples

• Annual + Perennial Vegetables

• USDA Definition

• Apply Vegetable Knowledge to Your Garden

There’s no Such Thing as a Vegetable

You've probably heard the debate of whether a tomato is a fruit or a vegetable. What if we were to tell you tomatoes are the fruit of the tomato plant and there is no such thing as a vegetable?   

Tomatoes are the fruiting part of the tomato plant and where the plant produces seeds.  Tomatoes are not the only fruit!  In fact, “a number of foods that are considered fruits by botanists are part of the Vegetable Group. For example, tomatoes, avocados, eggplants, cucumbers, green peppers, zucchini, butternut squash, and others are classified as fruits by botanists because they are the fleshy plant part surrounding its seeds. However, for nutritional and culinary purposes, these foods are considered to be vegetables rather than fruits” (1). If we use nutritional and culinary uses to differentiate food that comes from plants instead of scientific definitions, a large portion of what determines a vegetable is culturally defined. 

When someone reminds you to eat your vegetables, it’s generally understood that means to eat fresh produce, but what about french fries, made from potatoes? What about tomato sauce on a piece of pizza? The line between what is and isn’t a vegetable can blur quickly. The word “vegetable” has a variety of meanings and interpretations. Breaking the word “vegetable” down helps us understand plant biology and develop a greater understanding of how to grow food. 

We are going to put on our botanical caps in this blog and dive into what the heck we are growing in our vegetable gardens! 

Vegetable Etymology 

Let’s start with the basics. Where does the word vegetable come from? The word vegetable was first recorded in English in the early 15th century, meaning "capable of life or growth; growing, vigorous;" also "neither animal nor mineral, of the plant kingdom, living and growing as a plant.”  

In the 1600s, Andrew Marvell describes, "Had we but world enough, and time ... / My vegetable love should grow / Vaster than empires and more slow." "Vegetable love" in this case is not a particular love for a cucumber but is referring to a love that grows slowly and is continuously alive, like a plant.  Although not always used in reference to plant growth, “capable of life or growth” more accurately describes a fresh-picked cucumber than a pickle that has been stored for a few years. 

But isn’t a cucumber a fruit anyway? Okay, we digress. 

The specific use of vegetable as a "plant cultivated for food, edible herb or root" is first recorded in 1767.  And now, the modern definition of a vegetable, “A plant cultivated for its edible parts, such as the roots of the beet, the leaves of spinach, the flower buds of broccoli, or the fruit or seeds of certain species, as beans, corn, and squash,” (2) helps us really start to break it down.  When we eat vegetables, we are actually eating certain plant parts - the roots, shoots, leaves, flowers, fruits, and seeds of the plant. 

Vegetable Examples

When we buy produce from the grocery store, we are disconnected from the plant. We don’t see which part of the plant we are eating.  Many people begin to understand vegetable plant parts through gardening.  It can be greatly empowering to have the ability to grow healthy, nutritious food.   It is also fulfilling to have a deeper connection and understanding of where our food comes from.   

In botany, there are terms for different plant parts that we do not regularly use to describe vegetables.  Here are some examples from the (under)ground up! 

Roots, Bulbs, Corms, Rhizomes + Tubers 

Underground growing structures can get confusing, quick.  Most people think that all growth underground is made up of roots, but some underground growing structures like tubers and bulbs can actually be modified stems, having the presence of nodes and internodes. 

Examples: 

• Roots: beet, carrot, turnip, parsnip 

• Bulbs: onion, shallot, fennel, garlic 

• Corms: water chestnut, taro 

• Rhizomes: ginger, turmeric 

• Tubers: potato, jicama, sunchokes 

Shoots/Stems 

Stems usually grow above the ground, but sometimes below.  They are the main stalk of the plant and include nodes, the sources of new growth, and internodes, the spaces along the stalk in between the nodes.   

• Shoot/stem examples: asparagus, celery, rhubarb, and kohlrabi 

Leaves 

The main site for photosynthesis, leaves are connected to stems and are usually green in color, though not always.   

• Leaf examples: spinach, lettuce, kale, collard greens, cabbage, beet greens, endive, and arugula. 

Flowers 

Beyond being beautiful, flowers are the reproductive part of the plant that develops fruit and seed.   

• Flower examples: broccoli, artichoke, cauliflower, and squash blooms. 

Fruit 

Fruit are not only sweet and tangy treats, they are also savory!  Botanically, a fruit is the ripened ovary of a flowering plant that contains seeds. We will reserve the superior or inferior ovary conversation for a later blog! 

• Fruit examples: tomato, zucchini, cucumber, pepper, eggplant, summer and winter squash. 

Seeds 

A seed is a plant embryo and reserve of nutritional tissue in a protective coating found in fruit after flowering.   

• Seed examples: corn, peas, and beans. 

Now that we know more about the variety of edible plant parts, let’s delve into what a vegetable is even further. 

Annual + Perennial Vegetables

Annual plants live for one growing season and then die, while perennial plants come back year to year.  Perennials can be woody, like shrubs and trees, or herbaceous, like strawberries. 

Another common misconception about vegetables is that they are limited to annuals that can be found at a grocery store.  Although it is amazing that we have access to food with origins all around the world, we grow a lot of food as annuals and tend to overlook perennial edibles that thrive year-round in our environments. 

Benefits of perennial vegetables: 

• Do not need to be replanted like annuals  

• Reduce soil erosion, especially over the winter 

• Less maintenance than annuals 

• Provide different canopy layers as habitat for wildlife  

• Provide multiple garden functions 

Some examples of perennial vegetables include: 

• New Zealand Spinach 

• Sunchokes 

• Asparagus 

• Tree collards 

• Artichoke 

• Lovage 

• Good King Henry 

• Camas (important Native staple food) 

• Walking Onion 

• Sea Kale 

• Stinging Nettle 

USDA Definition

How does the USDA define a “vegetable?”  Why does it matter?  How do these definitions impact our health? 

The USDA regulates food quality, nutritional labelling, free school lunch and food stamps.  According to the USDA, “Vegetables may be raw or cooked, fresh, frozen, canned, or dried/dehydrated; and may be whole, cut-up, or mashed.”  This definition of a vegetable includes a slice of cheese pizza having a serving of vegetables because of tomato paste.  Only certain vegetables are common in stores because of their ability to be transported safely over long distances. This is one of the many reasons why it’s great to grow your own food! There are so many varieties available that provide greater nutritional value compared to what we can purchase over the counter.  

Additionally, homegrown garden produce is picked fresh at peak ripeness. Nutritional value degrades over time. Consider how long produce takes to reach you in large-scale farming: from harvest to packaging to transportation to market – crossing international borders and being shipped from all around the world. Plus, large-scale farming involves continuous tilling that depletes soil and contributes to erosion and increased chemical inputs. Growing your own edible garden carries a significantly reduced carbon footprint, provides food with superior nutritional value, and provides nectar and pollen for pollinators too! 

Stay tuned for next month’s blog which will focus on plant breeding, cultivars, particularly native cultivars, and seed saving! 

Apply Vegetable Knowledge to Your Garden

1. Growing different plant parts (roots, shoots, leaves, flowers, fruits, and seeds) of the plant will help extend your growing and harvest seasons.  Many roots can be harvested into the winter or over wintered, while shoots and leaves grow quickly in a short period of time, as a couple examples. 

2. Considering the plant “part” you intend to harvest will help determine how much of each plant you need to grow (i.e leafy greens are heavy food producers while many plants grown for roots yield a single vegetable, like carrots) 

3. Knowing which part of the plant you are growing to eat can give you hints about how long of season is needed, shoots and leaves will be ready quicker than most fruit. 

4.  Food forests – beyond growing different plant parts, perennial edibles allow you to grow different canopy layers, such as fruit and nut trees (upper canopy), cane fruits and edible shrubs (vertical plane), and herbaceous plants like strawberries, asparagus and artichoke (ground plane).  

5. Growing some of your own food helps preserve genetic diversity through seed preservation and by supporting open pollinated seed growers. Fewer and fewer varieties of plants are being grown to feed our planet which creates a highly fragile industrial food system. Next month we will delve into seed patents in big agriculture, seed saving, and what you can do to strengthen local resilience and food security.  Prepare to get motivated and inspired to grow nutritionally dense, delicious food that you just can’t find in the grocery store. 

Until then, happy gardening! 

Resources:

1 https://ask.usda.gov/s/article/What-foods-are-in-the-Vegetable-Group

2 https://ahdictionary.com/word/search.html?q=vegetable#:~:text=n.,beans%2C%20corn%2C%20and%20squash. 

Sign up for the monthly Noble Root e-Newsletter! Next month, we’ll delve into seed patents in big agriculture, seed saving, and what you can do to strengthen local resilience and food security. 

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About: 

Noble Root empowers homeowners to confidently grow food, flowers, and herbs with personalized support. We offer garden coaching, landscape design, DIY plans, and full-service garden installations in Portland-metro, Oregon, and Vancouver, Washington areas.