Fun Produce Facts

• It is recommended that you eat five servings of fruit or vegetables a day. A serving equals one-half cup.

• Actually a fruit, it took a ruling by the Supreme Court in 1893 to make the tomato a vegetable.
• Tomatoes are very high in the carotenoid Lycopene; eating foods with carotenoids can lower your risk of cancer.
• Other vegetables high in carotenoids are carrots, spinach, sweet potatoes, and collard greens.
• Most of the nutrients in a potato reside just below the skin layer.
• A horn worm can eat an entire tomato plant by itself in one day!
• In the United States, more tomatoes are consumed than any other single fruit or vegetable!
• California produces almost all of the broccoli sold in the United States.
• White potatoes were first cultivated by local Indians in the Andes Mountains of South America.
• Yams and sweet potatoes are not the same thing!
• A baked potato (with skin) is a good source of dietary fiber (4 grams).
• Potatoes first appeared in Europe in 1586; they made it to North America in 1719.
• The potato disease “Late Blight” was the principal cause of the Irish Potato Famine, which killed a half million people.
• Darker green lettuce leaves are more nutritious than lighter green leaves.
• Americans eat about 30 pounds of lettuce every year. That’s about five times more than what we ate in the early 1900s.
• The bright orange color of carrots tell you they’re an excellent source of Vitamin A which is important for good eyesight, especially at night. Vitamin A helps your body fight infection, and keeps your skin and hair healthy!
• Over 200 million pounds of blueberries are grown every year in North America.
• The banana plant can grow as high as 20 feet tall. That’s as big as a two-story house!
• One of the most popular varieties of green asparagus is named after Martha Washington, the wife of George Washington.
• The peach is a member of the rose family and will have a sweet fragrance when ripe.
• In 1970, consumption of broccoli was only a half a pound per person. Today, the average person in the United States eats four and one half pounds a year.
• Dried chile pepper wreaths are called "Ristras" - a symbol of plenty and hope.

 

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