Think You Know What’s in Your Washington Garden? Think Again

It’s midsummer in central Washington, and gardens are buzzing. Whether you're harvesting heirloom tomatoes or eyeing that perfectly ripe cucumber, you might think you know what’s what. Fruit or vegetable? The answer isn't always on the label—and it might not be what your taste buds are telling you. Let’s dig in. 

The Great Debate: Botanical vs. Culinary 

Why do some "vegetables" have seeds and others don't? Welcome to the age-old culinary identity crisis. The culprit? Two completely different systems trying to label your lunch: 

• Botanically speaking:
  A fruit is the plant’s way of spreading seeds and making more plant babies. If it has seeds and came from a flower, congrats — it’s a fruit.
  A vegetable is... everything else. Roots, stems, leaves, bulbs — basically any plant part that didn’t make it into the reproduction club. 

• Culinarily speaking:
  If it’s sweet, it’s a fruit. If it shows up next to steak, it’s a vegetable. Not exactly science, but it’s how we operate in the kitchen. 

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Fruit in Disguise: Common Impostors 

Here are some botanical fruits living double lives as vegetables on your dinner plate: 

• Tomatoes – Fruit. Yes, even in ketchup. 

• Cucumbers – Fruit. Crunchy, watery fruit. 

• Eggplants – Fruit with an identity crisis. 

• Peppers – Yes, even jalapeños are fruits. 

• Squash & Pumpkins – Giant, gourd-shaped fruits. 

• Olives – Tiny, briny fruits of the tree. 

• Avocados – Smooth, green, and definitely fruit. 

If it has seeds and came from a flower, it’s a fruit — no matter how many salads it’s been tossed into. 

True Veggies: No Seeds, No Drama 

These are the reliable, seedless, non-reproductive parts of plants: 

• Roots: Carrots, beets, turnips (the underground MVPs). 

• Leaves: Spinach, lettuce, cabbage (aka rabbit food). 

• Stems: Asparagus, rhubarb (the latter shows up in pies, but don't be fooled). 

• Tubers: Potatoes, yams — your comfort carbs. 

• Bulbs: Onions, garlic — tearjerkers in every recipe. 

• Flowers: Cauliflower, broccoli — technically bouquets of florets. 

• Rhizomes: Ginger, turmeric — spicy, underground creepers. 

Sugar: Not the Ultimate Decider 

Sweetness might seem like the fruit/vegetable litmus test, but... no. 

• Lemons and limes are sour, but definitely fruits. 

• Carrots are sugary little root vegetables. 

In other words, don’t let your taste buds do the taxonomy. 

Tomatoes vs. Rhubarb: A Case Study in Culinary Confusion 

• Tomatoes: Botanically a fruit (seed-bearing). Culturally a vegetable. Legally? Ask the U.S. Supreme Court; they ruled it a vegetable in 1893 for tariff reasons. Because obviously, that's how food science works. 

• Rhubarb: A tart, leafy stalk with zero seeds — 100% vegetable. Yet we stick it in pies and call it dessert. It was even dubbed “pieplant” once upon a time, which is pretty adorable. 

So... Does This Matter? 

Honestly? Unless you're becoming a botanist or a contestant on Jeopardy!, probably not. 

But if you're: 

• Trying to sound smart at a dinner party. 

• Rebranding your local food nonprofit (City Fruit does sound catchier than City Rhizome). 

• Arguing about pizza toppings... 

Then yes — it definitely matters.

 Seasonal Spotlight: Pumpkins 

It’s fall. You’re knee-deep in pumpkin-spiced everything. Time for the truth bomb: pumpkins are fruit. 

Why? Seeds. 

• Culinary spin: Treated as vegetables when roasted or souped. 

• Dessert duty: Sugar pie pumpkins show up in lattes, pies, and questionable candle scents.
  You’ve been eating fruit in your PSL and calling it festive. We all have. 

Bonus Round: Rhizomes vs. Tubers 

Feeling plant-nerdy? Let’s dig into the underground: 

• Rhizomes (e.g., ginger, turmeric) = horizontal-growing stems with root systems and sprouts. Creepy and cool. 

• Tubers (e.g., potatoes, yams) = underground storage units with no directional commitment. 

Both are vegetables, but with different growth strategies. Botany loves a technicality.