Gannett News Service

It's time for a flurry of facts related to vegetables.

Did you know ...

• You should refrigerate mushrooms in a paper bag or ventilated plastic container, not in a plastic bag.

• A mature legume is the dried seed found inside pods that hang from the stems of certain plants. These include dried beans, peas, lentils and peanuts. Green beans and peas - usually listed as vegetables - are immature legumes and don't have as much protein or fiber as dried legumes, which have been allowed to mature on the plant.

• A simple rule to keep corn sweet is to buy it cold and keep it cold. Corn loses 45 percent of its sugar in 24 hours if it's kept at room temperature. So in the store, select only corn that's cold to the touch. Refrigerate it - husks on - in a plastic bag.

• On the other hand, tomatoes are best if they're never refrigerated. And keep them out of direct sunlight. If they didn't come from your backyard garden (the best source), they probably came from Florida, which is the No. 1 producer of fresh market tomatoes.

• California produces almost all of the broccoli sold in the United States.

• A single baked potato contains less than 250 calories and is 99 percent fat free. Most of the nutrients in a potato reside just below the skin layer.