Choosing Vegetables And Fruits

1. Choosing Vegetables And Fruits FACS Standards 8.5.1, 8.5.2, 8.5.3, 8.5.4, 8.5.5, 8.5.6, 8.5.7 Kowtaluk, Helen and Orphanos Kopan, Alice. Food For Today. McGraw Hill-Glencoe. 2004.

2. Nutrients in vegetables and Fruits • Low in fat and sodium and have no cholesterol • High in carbohydrates, micro-nutrients, including antioxidants – substances that may lower risk of some cancers and heart disease • Provide Vitamin C – citrus fruits, kiwifruit, strawberries, cantaloupe, cabbage, potatoes

3. Vitamin E – apples, apricots, nectarines, peaches, cruciferous vegetables – bok choy, broccoli, brussels sprouts, cauliflower, collards, kale, kohlrabi, mustard greens, rutabagas, turnips and their greens

4. Beta carotene – body uses this phytochemical to make vitamin A; yellow and orange vegetables and fruits, cruciferous vegetables

5. Types of Vegetables • Roots, stems, leaves, seeds, flowers, bulbs, and tubers

6. Roots • Store plant’s food supply and send nutrients and moisture to the rest of the plant

7. Stems

8. Leaves • Plant’s manufacturing area; through photosynthesis, turn sunlight, CO2, and H2O into high-energy carbohydrates

9. Seeds • High in carbohydrates and other nutrients because they are part of the plant from which new plants grow

10. Flowers

11. Bulbs • Made of fleshy leaves surrounding part of stem

12. Tubers • Underground stem that stores nutrients

13. Fruits

14. Types of Fruits • Melons – cantaloupe to casaba

15. Citrus Fruits

16. Berries

17. Apples and Pears

18. Drupes • Fruits with a central pit enclosing a single seed

19. Tropical Fruits

20. Buying Fresh Produce • Inspect produce carefully • Avoid produce that looks wilted, shriveled, bruised, or decayed • Buy by weight • Buy only what you can store and use • Cook down from original volume

21. Seasonal Produce • Some produce available year-round • During season when plentiful, prices down and quality up • When try to purchase product off-season, price higher

22. Ripeness • Mature fruits – reach full size and color; not always ripe when harvested • Ripe fruits – tender fruit with pleasant aroma and fully developed flavor • Test for ripeness – press gently – ripe fruit will give slightly

24. Storing Fresh Produce • Unless dirty, do not wash until you are ready to use it • If you have to wash it before storage, dry thoroughly to avoid spoilage • Unripe fruits – for faster ripening – place in brown paper bag at room temperature; for slower ripening - refrigerate

25. Potatoes, sweet potatoes, onions – cool, dry, dark place – 450 – 500 F; in refrigerator, onions and sweet potatoes mold and decay and potatoes will change as their starch turns to sugar; if must store potatoes and onions at room temperature, buy only what can use in short time

26. Other fruits and vegetables – refrigerate in crisper section or in brown paper bag

27. Convenience Vegetables And Fruits • Canned and frozen stored longer than fresh and can be prepared quickly; often cost less; provide similar amounts of vitamins and minerals • Juices – convenient and refreshing; to be labeled juice must be 100% juice; products not pure juice must be labeled as “fruit drink”

28. Quick & Easy Convenience Fruits • Purée canned fruit and serve over Angel Food cake for quick, low-fat dessert • Thaw frozen fruit only partially to keep fruit firm • Dried fruits are chewy and sweet – concentrated source of energy