“The trees that are slow to grow bear the best fruit".- Moliere
Fruits are filled with nutrients, vitamins, and fiber. Whether eaten raw, cooked, or as a smoothie ingredient, fruits are pretty amazing and fascinating. Before you thought you knew everything about the food on your plate, consider this list and think again.
1. Not a berry?
Blackberries and strawberries are not technically berries as they are derived from a single flower with more than one ovary, making them an aggregate fruit. True berries are simple fruits stemming from one flower with one ovary and typically have several seeds including, the tomato, pumpkin and watermelon.
2. Nope, I’m Done Growing Up
Grapes, once picked, are unable to ripen. This is unlike the banana or orange, which are typically picked green, and then allowed to ripen in warehouses.
3. Seeds A Plenty
A strawberry has an average of about 200 seeds. A pomegranate can contain up to 1,000 seeds.
4. A Whole Lot Of Jack
The jackfruit has been determined to be the largest tree fruit in the world. The jackfruit can weigh as much as 100 pounds. There have been jackfruit that has grown as tall as 4 feet in height!
5. A Case Of Genetic Dejavu
Most fruit shown for sale at supermarkets are clones. This genetic manipulation of fruit is caused through grafting, so that customers are able to purchase fruit they have a consistent look and taste. If natural pollination occurred, the fruit for sale might be more like picking from a box of chocolates. There would be a lot more unexpected results!
6. One Pricey Melon
The Japanese Yubari cantaloupe is one of the most expensive fruit on the planet. At an auction, two of these melons sold for the sum of $23,500! In Japan, paying exorbitant prices for luxury fruit is a huge trend and a common gift in business relationships.
7. It Still Tastes Fresh
Apples are one of those fruits that are available for sale year round, even though the actual season for harvesting is rather short. Thanks to technology, apples are able to be stored and preserved, between the gap of being harvested and actually making it to market. So in short, an apple purchased and eaten today, may actually be up to a year old.
8. Banana
There are over 1,000 different varieties of bananas in nature but most of them are not good to eat. Most bananas sold in stores today are the Cavendish Banana chosen because of its resistance to a fungal disease. Although it is resistant to that one disease, it is now being threatened by others and because of a lack of genetic diversity, the entire banana species is at risk of being eradicated.
9. Keep Alert
Apples increase mental alertness, thanks to their high levels of boron. Eating an apple will deliver a more healthy energy boost, than drinking a cup of coffee.
10. More Bounce To The Ounce
Cranberries can bounce. John “Peg Leg” Webb discovered that these little fruits can bounce, when he dropped some cranberries down the stairs in 1880. Apparently, cranberries have tiny air pockets inside, which allow them to float and bounce. The higher a cranberry bounces, the better the cranberry.
11. That Grinning Face
Coconuts are an extremely popular fruit which contains antioxidants and many vitamins and minerals. The name coconut comes from 16th century Portuguese sailors. It is believed that the three holes on the coconut resembled a face, so the fruit was honored with the word ‘coco,’ meaning ‘grin’ or ‘grinning face.’ The nut part was added later on with the English language.
12. I Can’t Believe You Are Faux
Strawberries are not berries or even a fruit, technically. Berries are defined as having their seeds on the inside. Strawberries are a pseudocarp, or a ‘false fruit.’ The seeds on the outside of the strawberry are the real fruits.
13. Just A Tad Bit Hazard
Cyanide is a toxin found in certain fruits, like apples, peaches, apricots, and cassava roots. Potatoes contain a toxin called solanine, which can cause paralysis, hallucinations, or even passing. Thankfully, you can consume these plants without worrying, as the toxin levels are very low.
14. More Muscle Power Than Beef
Pumpkin seeds contain more protein than an equal amount of ground beef. Broccoli also has more protein per calorie than steak. Guess those vegetarians and vegans were on to something.
15. A Fruit To Heal Wounds
Chilli Peppers are often used as a spice, but they have the power to promote wound healing and blood clotting. Cayenne pepper helps regulate blood pressure and heal injuries. Whether you eat cayenne pepper or sprinkle it into a wound, it will help you heal faster. Pepper power to the rescue!
16. Break Out The Melon Canteen
Before the miracles of extravagant water systems, people used to carry around watermelons to stay hydrated. Watermelons are 92% water. Since this melon had thick skin which kept water inside, it was a perfect form of libation for explorers and people roaming the desert.
17. Save The Raisins
Until 2015, raisin farmers in the United States had to set aside a certain amount of raisins to the “national raisin reserve". There is even a Raisin Administrative Committee to enforce the law. This was done to control the price of raisins.
18. Always In Season
Avocados contain the most fat of any fruit or vegetable on the planet. Since avocado trees release an enzyme that prevents the fruit from maturing fully while on the tree, farmers can use the trees to store avocados until ready to go to market.
19. A Matter Of Words
The word ‘fruit’ is a botanical term, and ‘vegetable’ is culinary term. So, a tomato can be considered a fruit and a vegetable. In 1893, the United States Supreme court ruled that a tomato most legally be labeled a vegetable, although it is a fruit.
20. Homer Simpson Was On To Something
A farmer in Oregon managed to successfully grow a ‘tomacco’ plant. This is a hybrid of a cigar and tomato plant. This fascinating endeavor, straight out of a Simpsons episode, managed to bear fruit for a year and a half! Now the question is, does it get smoked or eaten?
The Simpsons, 20th Century Fox Television
21. Tastes Better Than It Smells
Indonesia and Malaysia are home to the durian which is known as the ‘king of fruits in many South Asian countries. This fruit is covered in little spikes and is said to smell horrendous. In some places, like Japan and Thailand, it is unlawful to keep the durian fruit in public because of its pungent odor.
22. Strange Connections
People who have an allergy to latex are more likely to be allergic to mangoes and kiwis.
23. Oh Pineapples
The pineapple is a combination of many individual flowers, or berries fused together around a core. Pineapples contain about 75% of the daily recommended amount of manganese for strong bones. It takes three years for a pineapple to mature.
24. Mistaken Identity
The almond is a member of the peach family, and is not actually a nut.
25. Dogs And Dog Lovers Beware
Grapes and raisins can be fatal to dogs and other pets as it can cause kidney failure.
Shutterstock
26. Don’t Mind If I Drink My Fruit
Coffee beans are the pit of a berry, and thus a fruit. Coffee has psychoactive properties and can make you hallucinate. 100 cups of coffee can give the human body a lethal dose of caffeine.
27. The Puffed Up Fish Fruit
The African horned cucumber is one of the oldest fruits, with its origin of over 3,000 years ago in Africa. It is also called the ‘puffed fish fruit’ because of its spine covered yellow outer shell. People use the juice of the African horned cucumber for eczema and renal problems.
28. The Oldest Fruit In The World
Figs are believed to be one of the oldest, if not the oldest cultivated fruit consumed by humans. Figs are high in fiber, iron, and potassium. Fig Newton cookies have been around since 1891, a testament to the popularity of figs. Sumerian tablets dated all the way from 2500 B.C. show the use of figs for cooking. Neolithic sites from 5000 B.C. revealed remains of fig trees during excavations. Fig trees can easily live 100 years!
29. Hi Cousin
Apples, pears, and plums are part of the rose family.
30. A Deadly Cocktail
Persons taking certain prescription drug have to be careful what fruit they consume. Eating a grapefruit, which is a good source of Vitamin C, can become life-hazard. Since the grapefruit contains compounds which change how your body metabolizes certain drug, the body can absorb larger amounts of the drug than is beneficial, which can cause medical problems and passing.
31. Peel Appeal
The peel of an orange fruit has four times more fiber than the actual fruit. There are also a significant amount of antioxidants in the peel too. You can get some of those benefits by grating some peel into your next meal. Wonder if candied peels count too?
