Vegetable Classifications

Chapter 31 - Food for Today

VEGETABLES

• 5 servings per day recommended

• Lots of vitamins and minerals

• High in fiber

• No cholesterol

• Low calories, fat and sodium

• Many contain antioxidants A, C and lycopene

What are antioxidants?

• Protect body cells and the immune system from damage that can be done from harmful chemicals from the air and in some foods.

Types of Vegetables• Vegetables come from different parts of plants.

• What parts of a plant can I eat?

1. Flowers

2. Fruits

3. Seeds

4. Stems

5. Leaves

6. Roots

7. Tubers

8. Bulbs

Flowers - The edible flowers of certain vegetables

Fruits – Fleshy and contain seeds that can be eaten but cannot grow a new plant.

Seeds – the part of the plant that will grow a new plant if cultivated in the ground.

Stems -the edible stalks of plants.

Leaves – the edible leaves of a plant.

Roots – store the plant’s food supply.

Tubers – large underground stem that stores nutrients.

Bulbs – layers of fleshy leaves surrounding the underground part of the stem.

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III. Fresh Vegetables

• Fresh vegetables are appealing for their taste, appearance, versatility, and nutritional value.

• Prices are lower when vegetables are in season.

• Ripeness: Fresh vegetables should be used within two to five days.

• Color & Texture: Should be bright and crisp.

• Avoid green potatoes = Solanine: A bitter, toxic substance that becomes a green color after having been exposed to light.

• Shape: Misshapen vegetables have inferior texture and flavor.

• Size: The vegetable should feel heavy for it’s size. Extra large may be over ripe, too small will lack flavor.

• Condition: Avoid wilted, decayed, or damaged vegetables = bacteria growth.

• Sprouts, or new offshoots growing from vegetables, bulbs and tubers indicate that the vegetables have been stored too long.

• To store vegetables in the refrigerator, wash them thoroughly and place them in a container with holes to let in moisture.

• Do not store potatoes in the refrigerator, as they can mold. Store them in a dark place, or in a paper bag.

• Store onions in a cool, dry place, by themselves.

• When washing vegetables, hold them under cool running water.

• Soaking causes nutrient loss.

• Salad greens: When leaf vegetables are eaten raw, like lettuce.

• Cooking greens: leaf vegetables that are cooked before being seasoned and eaten.

Sea Vegetables• are classified as algae

rather than plants, and include arame, kombu, wakame & hijiki

• also known as seaweeds, these vegetables are grow in waters with filtered sunlight

• Arame (ah-rah-meh)

– Raw in salads or sautéed

• Kombu (KOHM-boo)

– Aka kelp

– Soups, salads, stews, stir fry

Types of Sea Vegetables

• Laver (LAY-vuhr)

– Soups or deep fried & Sold in sheets

• Wakame (WAK-kah-meh)

– Soups and salads

Types of Sea Vegetables

• Nori (NOH-ree)

– Used to wrap seafood & sushi

• Dulse (duhls)

– Eaten like beef jerky

Types of Sea Vegetables

• Hijiki (hee GEE-kee)

– Eaten like beef jerky

Carrageen (KAR-uh-geen)

• A sea vegetable that helps produce the consistency of such products as ice cream and salad dressings.

Cooking vegetables affects:

• Nutrients: can be destroyed by heat & water.

• Texture: heat softens fibers, making them tender.

• Color: when cooked properly, the color remains.

• Flavor: heat releases flavor, making vegetables more delicious.

• Don’t salt while cooking!

• Allow the true flavor of vegetables to come through.

• Steaming is a nutritious way to cook vegetables. Because the vegetables are not cooked in water, fewer water-soluble nutrients are lost.

• Vegetables can also be:

Braised

Baked

Roasted

Grilled – Blanching them first will shorten time.

• Microwaving vegetables:

Cooks quickly, using only a small amount of water. Few nutrients, color, texture & flavor are lost.

IV. Convenience Form of Vegetables

• Canned can be whole, sliced, or in pieces.

• Frozen are closest in nutrients, color, and flavor, although texture will be different.

• Dried vegetables are dehydrated, with water removed.

V. Using Leftover Vegetables

• Marinate them for a salad.

• Add cooked vegetables to a stir fry dish.