Download 1.Potato – This is a stem, an underground storage stem called a

1.Potato – This is a stem, an underground storage stem called a tuber. It grows “eyes” as
leaves bud from it when left on the counter too long.
2.Carrot – This is a modified tap root, for storage.
3.Celery – Leaf; the part we eat is an enlarged petiole (the stem of the leaf).
4.Broccoli tops — These are sometimes called florets, meaning flowers. They are immature
flowers.
5.Sweet potato – Root; despite being called a potato, this kind of potato is a modified root
for storage. (Unlike a regular potato which grows “eyes” as leaves bud from it when left on
the counter too long, this does not happen from sweet potatoes.)
6.Onion layers – The bulb of the onion contains both a modified stem, in the center, but
most of what we eat are layers that are modified underground leaves.
7.Artichokes – All the green “layers” are part of a flower bud that is picked before the large
purple flower blooms.
8.Ginger – Often called ginger root, it is not a root. It is a modified storage stem called a
rhizome.
Consider this! When we eat our vegetables, we're not just eating vegies but a collection of
plant parts -- leaves, stems, flowers, roots, seeds and fruits.
Just love broccoli and cauliflower? It's really the flower stalk and immature flowers you're
eating.
How about asparagus and kohlrabi? You're munching on plant stems.
When we eat cabbage, Brussels sprouts, lettuce, spinach, kale and chard, we're chowing
down on leaves.
When you pass the onions, carrots, beets, turnips and radishes, it's roots on the menu.
Roots, incidentally, are the portions of plants that serve as storage areas for plant foods
manufactured by leaves.
What about tomato, eggplant, peppers, okra, squash, cucumber and pumpkin? Would you
believe these are the fruits of a plant. These fruits, occurred as a result of flower pollination.
Within the fleshy covering of the fruit are the plant's seeds.
And, finally, peas, corn, lima and kidney beans, garbanzos and black-eyed peas. They are
all seeds, every bit as much as sunflower seeds are seeds we eat.