Tomatoes should be stored unwashed, at room temperature. Avoid refrigeration unless tomatoes become very soft.

Strawberries are, according to Harold McGee’s Of Food and Cooking, a “’false fruit,’ derived from the base of the flower rather than the ovary.”

Strawberries are members of the rose family.

California’s plum harvest constitutes 90 percent of the country’s crop. Santa Rosa alone accounts for 35 percent of the state’s crop.

Pears have been cultivated for more than 4,000 years.

“Green onions” and “scallions” both refer to the same plant. The different names are used more popularly in different parts of the country.

Raw or cooked, all varieties of sweet onions taste identical and can be used interchangeably in recipes.

With exception of the grapefruit, all citrus fruits are millions of years old.

The eggplant is a native of India.

In order to draw out its bitterness and excess moisture, eggplant can be chopped or sliced and then rinsed and salted.

Figs are 55 percent sugar, the highest sugar content of any common fruit.

Figs are 55 percent sugar, the highest sugar content of any common fruit. When sugar became scarce during the Civil War, fig syrup came back into vogue.

 

Mangos are members of member of the cashew and pistachio family.

Some varieties of mushrooms can be traced back to the Stone Age.