What Parts of a Plant Do We Eat Let’s think about how many different parts of a plant we eat What’s your favorite vegetable Can you tell if it’s a root a leaf or a flower Roots Plant roots come in different shapes and sizes Some roots are long and get food from the soil to the plant others are thick and store food and nutrients Carrots parsnips turnips radishes and beets are all root vegetables Stems We also eat the stems of many plants such as asparagus and rhubarb Although potatoes grow underground they are actually part of the plant’s stem Leaves We eat some plant leaves such as lettuce raw Others such as cabbage we usually cook Leaves such as Swiss chard or spinach can be eaten either raw or cooked 8 PLANT COOK EAT
Flowers Can you think of any edible flowers Cauliflower and broccoli are actually tiny flower buds and when they are left to grow they turn into small yellow flowers Seeds Seeds are often contained in a case called a pod Sometimes we eat the seeds from these pods such as peas And sometimes we eat the pod and the seeds such as green beans or sugar snap peas Fruits We eat the fruit produced by many plants such as apples and oranges But did you know that zucchini tomatoes eggplant and pumpkins are all fruits too Next time you cut open a piece of fruit have a look at the seeds inside it All fruits contain seeds Bulbs We also eat bulbs such as onions and garlic A bulb is another part of the plant used to store energy When a bulb is left to grow it eventually produces leaves and flowers PLANT COOK EAT 9
The Miracle of a Seed Seeds are an amazing part of nature that plants produce in many different shapes and sizes But seeds all have one thing in common they can grow into a new plant Sow the Seed A seed is a plant ready and waiting Each one has just the right amount of energy to spring into life This is important to remember when sowing seeds because if you sow them too deep the first leaves won’t have enough energy to break through the soil 10 PLANT COOK EAT
See for Yourself Seeds don’t need to be in soil to germinate or begin to grow Pea seeds can begin to germinate with just water and warmth Place some pea seeds on a folded wet paper towel and leave them in a warm place After a couple of days the seeds will have soaked up the water and begun to germinate What Happens When You Plant a Seed Give most seeds warmth and water and after a few days they will begin to grow If you plant a seed in soil a root will sprout and grow down into the soil branching out in search of water A shoot will grow up from the seed in search of light Once it breaks above the surface of the soil the shoot produces its first small leaves This process is called germination
