Because of its red color, tomatoes were once considered poisonous by early Americans. Today, the average American eats about 22 pounds of tomatoes a year.

Sweet potatoes were discovered in Central America. They were often referred to as "gold nuggets" due to their high nutrition and monetary value.

Pumpkins are actually a fruit - a melon to be exact. The word "pumpkin" probably comes from the Greek word "pepon," which means "cooked by the sun."

Historians believe that corn in the Americas dates back to 10,000 years ago, and that it is closely related to a wild grass called teosinte.

The English term "pecan" comes from the Algonquin Indian word "paccan" or "pakan," which means "a nut so hard you have to crack it with a stone."

When carrots were first introduced in England in the 15th century, their frilly green tops were so popular that British women would use them to decorate their hats.

According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the largest watermelon ever grown weighed 262 pounds.

It's believed that grapefruit got its name because the fruit grows in clusters, like grapes. As many as 25 grapefruit can grow in one cluster.

In 1533, when Catherine de'Medici became queen of France, she loved spinach so much that she insisted her cooks serve it at every meal.

Spinach was the first frozen vegetable to be sold.

The ancient Chinese considered the peach a symbol of long life.

Why do you cry when you peel onions? Sulfur compounds flavor the onion and give it its odor. These compounds also irritate your mucous membranes, which is why you cry.

Early American colonists made grey paint by boiling blueberries in milk.

The blueberry is the second most popular berry in the United States; the strawberry is number one.

Cucumbers are one of the oldest cultivated vegetables, having been cultivated since about 8,000 B.C.

In Queen Victoria's day, oranges were given as Christmas gifts in England.