The Vegetable Industry #8: ID Plant, Fruit, and Seeds (AEST Ag Systems)

peanut seeds

Very high in protein.

okra seed

Very round, green, the size of BB's.

tomato seeds

Very small, flat, oval, and fuzzy: think of how they look when you cut one open.

potato seeds

Very thin, papery, and light colored.

lettuce seeds

Very tiny, elongated; plant at 1/8 inch deep.

d) potatoes

What plant is grown by planting dormant buds called "eyes"? a) bell pepper b) sugar cane c) sweet corn d) potatoes

b) cabbage

What vegetable crop is pictured? a) squash b) cabbage c) potato d) tomato

c) potato

What vegetable crop is pictured? a) squash b) cabbage c) potato d) tomato

sweet corn seed

wrinkled, yellow or white.

cabbage plant

Brassica family: leafy cool weather plant that forms a head.

bell pepper

Can be green, yellow, orange, and red. Red peppers are on the vine longer, so are higher in vitamin A and C.

sweet corn ears

Can be yellow or creamy white

cabbage

Green or purple "heads" with very firm leaves.

lettuce

Harvest heads by cutting horizontally at the soil surface.

lettuce plant

In the daisy family, Asteraceae, you can begin planting leaf, romaine and butterhead varieties as soon as the soil can be worked in the spring, and agian in the fall. If you plant successive plantings, with 10 to 14 days in between, you'll have an extended harvest.

seed potatoes

The potato "eyes" are planted in "hills" with a portion of the potato. This is a form of vegetative reproduction.

okra plant

A flowering plant in the mallow family, and known in many English-speaking countries as ladies' fingers. It is valued for its edible green seed pods.

Roselle (Hibiscus sabdariffa)

A relative of hibiscus and okra and in the mallow family, this plant is also called Florida cranberry, red sorrel, or Jamaica sorrel. The part of the plant that is edible is the calyx of the roselle flower which can be used to make a variety of jams, sauces, and teas. The color and tart taste of the calyces makes them a good replacement for cranberries and can also be used to add color and flavor to herb teas. Be sure to harvest calyces before they turn brown on the plant and separate them from the seeds before using them in recipes. The seeds, which are high in protein, can be roasted and brewed like coffee, or ground and added to soups and salads. The leaves can be used as a cooked green or added raw for a nice "zing" to a salad. Since roselle grows as an annual, be sure to save seeds from one season to the next. It is an heirloom plant that is passed from gardener to gardener. You can also look for plants in the spring and summer at your local farmers market.

herbs

Aromatic plants valued for their flavor as seasonings rather than as a food source. Basil, rosemary, sage, mints, oregano, onions, parsley, cilantro, and chives are also planted in our garden!

cucumber vine

Cucurbit family: bears elongate fruits, which are used as vegetables. There are three main varieties: slicing, pickling, and burpless/seedless.

hard squashes

Cucurbit family: cool season varieties including pumpkin, butternut, and acorn squashes.

yellow summer (crookneck) squash plant

Cucurbit family: warm season and should be planted in "hills" that allow vining. The fruit is yellow with a fat bottom that tapers toward the neck, and has a lot of seeds in its flesh.

zucchini squash plant

Cucurbit family: warm season and should be planted in "hills" that allow vining. Zucchini is straight and green and sometimes has green stripes.

sugar cane stalks

Cut off the leaves, harvest the stalks, then burn the leaves (major cause of air pollution in South Florida).

eggplant

Elongate purple or white fruit.

snap bean plant

Fabaceae (legume) family: a warm season annual plant with seeds enclosed in long pods . Like most other legumes, they harbor symbiotic nitrogen-fixing bacteria in their root nodules. Can be tall-growing pole-type varieties, half-runners, or the low-growing bush-type varieties.

peanut plant

Fabaceae (legume) family: like other legumes, they harbor symbiotic nitrogen-fixing bacteria in their root nodules. Unlike other legumes, their flowers form "pegs" which droop down to the ground and plant themselves and form the underground pod!

pea plant

Fabaceae (legume) family: they harbor symbiotic nitrogen-fixing bacteria in their root nodules. The type of plant with which Gregor Mendel experimented with for genetic studies.

snap bean seed

Larger, oblong, fat.

cucumber

Long, green, and can be spiny.

zucchini squash

Long, green, cylindrical with tender flesh.

snap bean

Long, usually green, skinny with seeds (peas) inside.

Cucurbitaceae (Gourd family)

Mostly annual vines, always frost sensitive, with hairy, pentangular stems, 5-lobed palmate leaes, five-sided flowers and tendrils to help it climb. Includes the squashes (including pumpkins), melons, looffas, and gourds. Fruit is called a "pepo". The gourds in this family are among the earliest cultivated plants: used as containers rather than food.

potato

Not true roots, but tubers that grow off the plant roots underground. A staple crop in many countries, high in starch and rich in vitamins and minerals.

cucumber seeds

Oblong and flat.

squash seeds

Oval, flat, wider than cucumber.

sweet corn

Poaceae family: Zea mays, an annual monocot in the grass family which produces edible seeds in "ears".

sugar cane plant

Poaceae famly: world's largest crop by production quantity. A tall (6-18 feet!) perennial grass, primarily cultivated for its juice, which is milled into sugar. Has stout, jointed, fibrous stalks that are rich in sucrose (which is made into sugar). Originally traded as a precious spice, it became a leading contributor to the slave trade.

okra

Pods are best if harvested when they are young and tender.

seed cane/cane sets

Propagated primarily by the planting of cuttings (vegetative). The immature cane sections have two or more buds (eyes), usually three, which sprout when planted horizontally..

yellow summer (crookneck) squash

Skinny neck, fat bottom, sweet flavor.

peas

Small spherical seed or the whole seed-pod that holds it. Can be green or yellow, and is botanically a fruit.

bell pepper seeds

Small, flat, and pale, think of when you cut one open.

eggplant seeds

Small, flattened, pale yellow.

cabbage seeds

Small, round, and red seeds make the purple variety, while white seeds make the green variety.

potato plant

Solanaceae family: a perrenial plant that produces toxic solanine when exposed to light. Green potatoes can be very poisonous, so keep your potato plants mounded up high with dirt so they are not exposed to light (which turns them green), and in the dark (in paper bags) in your cupboard!

eggplant plant

Solanaceae family: most commonly purple, the spongy, absorbent fruit is used in several cuisines. Typically used as a vegetable in cooking, it is a berry by botanical definition.

bell pepper plant

Solanaceae family: sometimes grouped with less pungent varieties as "sweet peppers", this annual plant thrives through sumer and fall in North Florida.

tomato plant

Solanaceae family: this fragrant annual is cultivated extensively for its juicy edible fruits. Labelled as a vegetable for nutritional purposes, these are an excellent source of vitamin C and the phytochemical lycopene.

Amaranthaceae (Amaranth Family)

Spinach, chard, beets, lambs quarters (pigweed), and quinoa are in this family.

peanuts

The edible seeds inside the hard shell of the pods.

Brassiceae (Mustard Family)

There are about 3,500 species of trees, herbs, and shrubs in this family. The flowers on plants in this family have four petals that form a cross. Many of the species in this family are used for food including cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, kale, collards, brussel sprouts, mustard, horseradish, turnips, rutabaga, and radishes.

Solanaceae (Nightshade Family)

This family contains many important food crops: tomatoes, peppers, white potatoes, eggplant, tomatillo, tobacco, and the deadly weed called Nightshade, or Belladonna. These plants produce an alkaloid called solanine that can be poisonous, and can aggravates arthritis pain and inflammation.

tomato

Typically a red, acidic, juicy fruit. Varieties include yellow, green, purple, zebra stripes, and even pink! Varies in size from cherry tomoatoes to softball sized.