Three Fruits and Three Vegetables

If you had to choose three fruits what would they be, and that's all you can have for ever; easy…orange, apple banana.

Hang on. What if it was only three fruits and three vegetables for the rest of your life? This is a difficult decision because taste, enjoyment, health, cooking and versatility all need to be considered.

First I had better define fruit and vegetables. I will take the common idea that a fruit has seeds inside and vegetable doesn’t.

Now we need a staple. It is a toss up between the great Asian staple of rice grown in the steaming tropics by happy peasants and its arch nemesis across the great land mass of Eurasia and into the tiny, green covered Island of Ireland and its well renowned potato. I think potato deserves a spot because of its versatility. It can be boiled, baked, cut and fried as chips, or mashed, and it’s in many dishes.

Tomato is a shoe-in. Great on sandwiches, fantastic in salad and a major part of everyone’s eating life. The question may be raised of whether or not it’s a fruit or vegetable. But as is generally accepted its vegetable status is a misnomer. It has seed inside the fruit and thus like capsicum and cucumber is a fruit. Tomato’s in as the first fruit. Avocado is also a fruit by this logic thus must be considered. It’s a maybe because it is sensationally edible but its versatility lets it down.

Back to vegetables. We must consider onions and mushrooms. They are both integral for pizzas, and onions are pretty much in every dish from Thai stir fires to Indian curries to roasts to barbeques to anything. The mushroom is also well used in cooking. Both can be used raw as well, and I have convinced myself that they are both necessities to life.

But then what about a green vegetable for health reasons, broccoli, lettuce or asparagus. If our general health is to be considered we need broccoli to cover that area.

Thus for vegetables we must go potato, onion and broccoli. No stuff it we are losing too much by chopping the mushroom. Sorry broccoli you’re gone. We will stick with mushroom. Least we can make a great pizza.

Back on to fruit. The orange is in for its vitamin C and most importantly its juice making capabilities. You can’t beat an OJ in the morning to sooth the dry just-woken throat.

Thus with tomato and orange their remains only one spot in the fruits. This is a toss up between banana, mango, peach, apple or even avocado; whatever your tastes maybe. This one is up to you. I think I will go the apple route. I like the juice and the taste and it’s always an easy option. Ah but then I also want the avocado for sandwiches and salad. I can’t decide. Heads is avocado, tails is apple. Tails… apple…damn. I really wanted avocado