Colleen Posted March 4, 2009 Share Posted March 4, 2009 Kinda random...Do you know corn isn't a vegetable? I think some (many?) aren't aware that corn is a grain, not a vegetable. I wonder if this is in part due to how it's portrayed in our culture. Remember the Swanson's tv dinners from yesteryear, for example? Corn was the "vegetable" in there, alongside meat loaf and mashed potatoes.:D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Remudamom Posted March 4, 2009 Share Posted March 4, 2009 I always think of corn as a veggie, but as a rancher's wife I should know it's a grain. Whatever it is it's my favorite...............starch. Corn on the cob, creamed, fried, fresh or frozen, I love it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crissy Posted March 4, 2009 Share Posted March 4, 2009 I do know now, but it was only recently (in the past year or so) that I learned the truth. I had always thought of it as a starchy vegetable. I think of peas the same way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beansprouts Posted March 4, 2009 Share Posted March 4, 2009 Did you know that a grain is a vegetable? veg⋅e⋅ta⋅ble 1.any plant whose fruit, seeds, roots, tubers, bulbs, stems, leaves, or flower parts are used as food, as the tomato, bean, beet, potato, onion, asparagus, spinach, or cauliflower.2.the edible part of such a plant, as the tuber of the potato.3.any member of the vegetable kingdom; plant. ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amy loves Bud Posted March 4, 2009 Share Posted March 4, 2009 Kinda random...Do you know corn isn't a vegetable? I think some (many?) aren't aware that corn is a grain, not a vegetable. I wonder if this is in part due to how it's portrayed in our culture. Remember the Swanson's tv dinners from yesteryear, for example? Corn was the "vegetable" in there, alongside meat loaf and mashed potatoes.:D Yep, I know that. And most of the available corn is genetically modified beyond recognition. When I was in my ob residency - my first week I think - a new dad gave me a thank you gift of heirloom white corn from Maryland's eastern shore. I've never looked at corn the same since. That was some good corn! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tree House Academy Posted March 4, 2009 Share Posted March 4, 2009 I should have known that - I mean, we grow corn and what we have left over we allow ranchers to harvest for feed. Kind of duh, but I had never thought of it before. Hey...it is in the veggie section at the supermarket. That is what REALLY matters. LOL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danybug Posted March 4, 2009 Share Posted March 4, 2009 It is news to me. I guess it is kind of obvious after the fact, when you think about it. But no, I did not put that together. Thanks for teaching me something new today! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paula in MS Posted March 4, 2009 Share Posted March 4, 2009 The tip off for me was when I bought some cornflakes and it had 100% whole grain on the label. I had to really think about that. Paula Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Perry Posted March 4, 2009 Share Posted March 4, 2009 From eXtension: FAQ #17275 Please settle a dispute. Is sweet corn a vegetable or a grain? What is the difference? How about field corn? Corn seed is actually a vegetable, a grain, and a fruit. Corn seed is a vegetable because it is harvested for eating. (Usually sweet corn when grain is harvested at the milk stage.) Corn seed is a grain because it is a dry seed of a grass species. (Usually field corn when harvested after the grain is relatively dry.) Corn seed is a fruit because that is the botanical definition. More details follow. Corn (Zea mays) is sometimes called a vegetable grain. Corn is a monocotyledon with only one seed leaf like grasses. The easily identified "grains" (or cereal plants/grasses) such as wheat, oats, and barley are also monocots. A grain is defined as the harvested dry seeds or fruit of a cereal grass, or the term can refer to the cereal grasses collectively. Field corn that is harvested when the seeds are dry would thus be considered a grain. Sweet corn when harvested before maturity is usually considered a vegetable. It is grown to be eaten fresh as a tender vegetable rather than as a dried grain suitable for grinding into flour or meal. A vegetable is defined as a plant cultivated for an edible part or parts such as roots, stems, leaves, flowers, or seeds/fruit. If you want to be very precise, all cereal grains could be called vegetables, but by convention we separate the cereal grains from the rest of the "vegetables" such as peas, lettuce, potatoes, cabbage, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
********* Posted March 4, 2009 Share Posted March 4, 2009 I learned from a dietician, while pregnant with my second, that both corn and peas are dietarily classified as 'starch', not 'vegetable'. I was, um, 29 at the time. My parents served us the standard-American-junk-diet growing up, and corn was usually the only 'vegetable' we saw. And to think of all the times I choked down peas as an adult, thinking they were good for me. :lol: I'd much rather have broccoli or grean beans... It's weird, I very rarely serve corn to my family. I really do love it, but after learning the truth about it, and considering how much I ate of it as a child, I just can't bring myself to serve it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beansprouts Posted March 4, 2009 Share Posted March 4, 2009 and tomatoes are a fruit! Technically they are a berry. Mmmmmmm!!! Ice cream sundaes anybody?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beansprouts Posted March 4, 2009 Share Posted March 4, 2009 I learned from a dietician, while pregnant with my second, that both corn and peas are dietarily classified as 'starch', not 'vegetable'. I was, um, 29 at the time. My parents served us the standard-American-junk-diet growing up, and corn was usually the only 'vegetable' we saw. And to think of all the times I choked down peas as an adult, thinking they were good for me. :lol: I'd much rather have broccoli or grean beans... It's weird, I very rarely serve corn to my family. I really do love it, but after learning the truth about it, and considering how much I ate of it as a child, I just can't bring myself to serve it. I think technically peas are legumes like beans. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pam "SFSOM" in TN Posted March 4, 2009 Share Posted March 4, 2009 Kinda random...Do you know corn isn't a vegetable? I think some (many?) aren't aware that corn is a grain, not a vegetable. I wonder if this is in part due to how it's portrayed in our culture. Remember the Swanson's tv dinners from yesteryear, for example? Corn was the "vegetable" in there, alongside meat loaf and mashed potatoes.:D Yep. But growing up I didn't know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jen in PA Posted March 4, 2009 Share Posted March 4, 2009 My 5 year old dd learned about corn somewhere -- I'm guessing Magic School Bus. Now she reminds me that it is a grain everytime I ask about which veggie they want with dinner. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heidi @ Mt Hope Posted March 4, 2009 Share Posted March 4, 2009 Yep. I *know* it is a grain, but I think of fresh corn (or frozen) served for dinner as a starchy vegetable. My parents always had a second veggie (like green salad) when corn was served. Same with baked potatoes. I think of it as a grain when it is ground corn. So corn bread, grain. Polenta, grain. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tabrett Posted March 4, 2009 Share Posted March 4, 2009 and tomatoes are a fruit! It is actually a veggie according to the public school system.:blink: If it were to be considered a fruit the school lunch system would have to be totally revamped. So the gov. allows it to be a "vegetable".:001_unsure: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tutor Posted March 4, 2009 Share Posted March 4, 2009 My understanding is that there are botanical distinctions and culinary distinctions. Botanically, it is a grain. Culinarily, it is treated as both a grain and a vegetable. It is all in how you prepare it. In cornbread, it's a grain; steamed on the cob, it's a vegetable (culinarily speaking). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris in VA Posted March 4, 2009 Share Posted March 4, 2009 Hey Colleen, I have a little question-- Does each corn plant bear only one ear of corn? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LizzyBee Posted March 4, 2009 Share Posted March 4, 2009 When I was in my ob residency - my first week I think - a new dad gave me a thank you gift of heirloom white corn from Maryland's eastern shore. I've never looked at corn the same since. That was some good corn! One of my biggest disappointments about moving from MD to NC is the dearth of good vegetables in NC. Even when we grow them ourselves, they don't taste the same because the dirt here is different. We've bought loads of topsoil for our garden, and the veggies still don't have much flavor. If we go to MD in late summer or fall, we always bring back a couple dozen ears of corn on the cob. I think this year, we are going to stick to strawberries and sweet potatoes in our garden. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pam "SFSOM" in TN Posted March 4, 2009 Share Posted March 4, 2009 Hey Colleen, I have a little question-- Does each corn plant bear only one ear of corn? I can answer that one. No, each stalk has several ears. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Evergreen State Sue Posted March 4, 2009 Share Posted March 4, 2009 I voted nope, but I think I really knew it wasn't. I can hear in my head me asking the family, "What kind of vegetable shall we have with dinner?" and they always will say, "Corn!". I veto corn quite frequently because it isn't green! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dirty ethel rackham Posted March 4, 2009 Share Posted March 4, 2009 I was raised with corn as one of the few veggies served (along with the iceburg lettuce salad.) However, when I developed reactive hypoglycemia in college, I had to relearn how to eat. I was shocked to see corn on my "eat sparingly" list. I rarely eat products with corn anymore because the really mess with my sugars. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris in VA Posted March 4, 2009 Share Posted March 4, 2009 Thanks, Pam. ("See? I TOLD you you were wrong!") Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beansprouts Posted March 4, 2009 Share Posted March 4, 2009 berries are fruit so can we both be right? :D Yes, of course! That's what I am saying. ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicole M Posted March 4, 2009 Share Posted March 4, 2009 Aw, shucks, girls. You're all wrong. In my house, according to my husband, corn is a starch. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blossom'sGirl Posted March 5, 2009 Share Posted March 5, 2009 At least I think that was the movie name. They said it was a grass. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SapphireStitch Posted March 5, 2009 Share Posted March 5, 2009 One of my biggest disappointments about moving from MD to NC is the dearth of good vegetables in NC. Even when we grow them ourselves, they don't taste the same because the dirt here is different. We've bought loads of topsoil for our garden, and the veggies still don't have much flavor. If we go to MD in late summer or fall, we always bring back a couple dozen ears of corn on the cob. I think this year, we are going to stick to strawberries and sweet potatoes in our garden. :iagree::iagree: Same here. We came from IL to NC and it was like being thrown out of Eden, gardenwise. The soil and the heat must create the difference. I guess the solution would be to develop a great love for things like collards and okra that grow here so well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lionfamily1999 Posted March 5, 2009 Share Posted March 5, 2009 I'm not voting. The whole thing is so stinking arbitrary. Ds and I looked up fruits, veggies and starches, and it seems that it depends on the source as to how they're categorized. I'm starting to think where something sits on the pyramid is about as scientific as 'race.' Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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