Vegetable Trivia

(updated on Jul 21, 2008)

Did You Know?

Tomatoes:

Although the Spanish brought tomatoes to Europe from South America, they used them as decoration, fearing they were poisonous. It wasn’t until the 16th century before tomatoes were eaten in Europe and it was the Florentines in Italy who led the way.
Did you know that the tomato is actually a fruit? Botanically, tomatoes are a fruit, because a fruit is defined as the edible part of the plant that contains seeds, while a vegetable is the edible stems, leaves and roots of the plant.
Did you know that tomatoes come in a variety of colours such as red, orange, yellow, pink, white and even red and yellow striped?
Thomas Jefferson was one of the first Americans to grow tomatoes, which were called "love apples" at the time. Even in the U.S. the tomato has been eaten for only 150 years. It began with a courageous demonstration by Colonel Robert G. Johnson on the courthouse steps in Salem, New Jersey at noon on September 26, 1820 when he ate an entire basketful of tomatoes. He not only survived, but wasn't ill following his heroic demonstration.

Cucumbers:

The cucumber is a gourd of the same family as pumpkin, zucchini and other squash.
In the United States in the 1930s, a “cucumber” was slang for a dollar.
Greenhouse cucumbers are the same species as the field or pickling cucumber, but are the aristocrats of the family - the skin is totally edible with no tough seeds to be removed.
Greenhouse cucumbers are not pollinated, so the fruit is seedless!

Sweet Peppers:

Industry: