At dinner, you might eat a root, a leaf and a flower without knowing it! Every vegetable and fruit comes from one part of a plant.
Key idea
We eat roots (carrots), stems (potatoes), leaves (lettuce), flowers (broccoli), fruits (apples, tomatoes) and seeds (peas, corn).
Why it works
To find the part, ask how it grew. Did it grow down into the soil? Root. Is it thin and green? Leaf. Does it hold seeds? Fruit. Is it a bunch of tiny buds? Flower.
Worked example: Let's think it through
A potato grows under the ground. Is it a root?
- Look closely at a potato. It has little "eyes".
- The eyes are buds. New shoots grow out of them.
- Buds grow on stems, not on roots.
Answer: No. A potato is a stem that grows under the ground.
Common mistake
Many children say a potato is a root because it grows underground. It is a stem. And a celery stick is the stalk that holds up a celery leaf, so it is part of the leaf.
For the grown-up. Make a "plant parts" plate for a snack: a carrot stick, a piece of lettuce, a broccoli floret, an apple slice and a few peas. The Teddy Rook Book Food Garden Planner can help you grow some of them.