Baby Vegetables

[Nyboy]

Last night I had what was labeled baby potatos, they where about the size of a peach pit. I know there is baby carrots and baby spinach. Are these a small variety or just young plants? Do vegetables have to mature and rippen like fruit or can they be eaten anytime?

 

[Ridgerunner]

First time I've heard them called that. I've always called them new potatoes. They are nutritious and have a different texture and flavor than more mature potatoes. They will not keep as well. many people grovel under a growing potato plant to find new potatoes. Really nice.

Carrots marketed as baby carrots are not. They take the misshapen carrots and grind them down to that size and sell them as babies. They are just the rejects repurposed so they can charge more per pound. Nothing wrong with them.

Most if not all greens can be picked and eaten young. Someone may have an exception but I can't think of any. They will normally be more tender and have a more delicate flavor than more mature leaves.

I can't answer if all vegetables have to mature before they can be eaten. Some things we call vegetables are technically fruit, like tomatoes. Kind of depends on your definition if vegetables versus fruit.

 

[catjac1975]

I agree. i call them new potatoes. However there are always very smallpotatoes wiith evreyy plant. So those arenot new just small.

 

[lesa]

I was so disappointed when I learned that fact about "baby" carrots!!

 

[valley ranch]

How about those little corn, like 2 1/2" long?

 

[Smart Red]

If your 'baby potatoes' still had their skins on, they are 'new potatoes' as ridgerunner said, or they are small harvested potatoes that would otherwise be worthless to the seller if not 'repurposed' with a new name.

If the skins are off, they are probably closer to the carrots in processing. Big spuds that have had bad spots cut off and reformed into babies. Either way there is nothing wrong with them as potatoes. It would be a matter of how they were proceI have recently read how 'baby' carrots are processed and choose not to use them any more.

 

[thistlebloom]

Oh Look!! Baby cabbages!

Photo by Anne Geddes

 

[ninnymary]

Thistle, don't you have anything else to do but play on the computer? haha

Mary

 

[thistlebloom]

Thistle, don't you have anything else to do but play on the computer? haha

Mary

I'm supposed to be figuring last years income so I can get the dang taxes done!

Therefore, I'm playing on the computer.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Red, when I Google "baby potatoes" they described new potatoes. I never thought of your twist on it, which sounds logical. I guess it is basically a marketing name and can mean whatever they want it to mean.