Fruits and Vegetable Facts

This starchy, staple fruit that grows in the tropics has the potential to provide food security to millions. So what exactly is it and who's eating it?

By Stephanie Vermillion

Sure, eating prunes can help you have regular bowel movements, but these sweet dried plums can also help you build - and maintain - strong bones.

By Kristen Hall-Geisler

The U.S. banned the gooseberry back in the early 1900s because it was a host for white pine blister rust disease. But now few states prohibit the tart berry, so eat up!

By Stephanie Vermillion

Yes - it could happen to you, good person. KABOOM! It's fairly rare, but a potentially catastrophic rind failure lurks under the green-striped shell of every seemingly innocent watermelon in the produce aisle.

By Carrie Tatro

Sometimes referred as the 'queen of fruit,' the mangosteen has a soft white interior, a mild taste and is notoriously difficult to find in the U.S. Here's why.

By Alia Hoyt

If bananas are berries and strawberries and raspberries are not, what in the world is a berry anyway?

By Michelle Konstantinovsky

Its smell is notorious. But get past that and the jackfruit is versatile, easy to grow and packs a nutritional punch that's hard to beat.

By Adina Solomon

This tropical fruit, grown all over the tropics, has lots of health benefits. Even its leaves get in on the act.

By Alia Hoyt

This banana has soft, sweet flesh and tastes a lot like vanilla custard or ice cream. One scoop or two?

By Tara Yarlagadda

We throw out tons of perfectly good parts of vegetables and fruits often because we don't know what to do with them. But there's a lot of treasure in the trash.

By Alia Hoyt

Peppers are getting hotter these days. But which one is the hottest of them all? And why do we keep searching for ever-hotter peppers?

By Shaun Chavis

Little tiny vegetables seem to pop up everywhere these days, but where do they come from?

By Laurie L. Dove

Don't let 'seedless' watermelons fool you - even though they may not prompt constant spitting, they really do have seeds.

By Kate Kershner

If peanuts are technically not nuts, what are they?

By Debbie Swanson

Kale is a descendant of ancient cabbage. Learn more about kale in this humorous video from HowStuffWorks.

Kale has become the little black dress of the culinary world: chic, understated and perfect for nearly every occasion. But it comes with a not-so-elegant side effect. We'll - ahem - get to the bottom of why kale makes you so gassy.

By Laurie L. Dove

Discerning between a fruit and a vegetable may seem simple: Fruits have seeds and vegetables don't. This works great if you're a botanist, but not so well if you're not. We'll finally tell you which category tomatoes fall into (or maybe we won't).

By Laurie L. Dove

If you can't get enough of starchy foods, you don't need to limit yourself to potatoes and squash. Fruits have starch, too! We'll tell you why, and also reveal the starchiest fruit of them all.

By Laurie L. Dove

If bananas are your favorite fruit, you may soon pick up a bunch that just seems ... different somehow. The culprit: a fungus that's killing the Cavendish.

By Laurie L. Dove

Sweet potatoes have been around a long, long time, but it seems like they're just now getting the fanfare they deserve. If you'd like to add this good-for-you vegetable to your diet, here are five ways to liven it up.

By Emilie Sennebogen

Canned tomatoes come diced, stewed, whole, sauced and in paste. But can one substitute for the other? After all, they're all tomatoes, right?

By Sara Elliott

Does it really matter if your carrots are boiled, steamed or roasted? Actually, it does. But that's the only simple part of the equation. Why would cooking vegetables make them less healthy?

By Julia Layton

The great tomato storage debate seems to be settled by the label on that little package of Romas warning: "Never Refrigerate." Pretty straightforward. Still, many people do just that and claim no ill effects. So, is the warning valid?

By Julia Layton

Tomato seeds are teeny-tiny, but they hold a lot of potential. If you extract and dry them properly, you can create your very own heirloom tomatoes and enjoy your favorite varieties from year to year.

By Natalie Kilgore

Tomato puree can serve as a base or add flavor to lots of dishes. What's more, it's quick and easy to prepare. Here's how to add it to your cooking repertoire.

By Sarah Winkler