The Secret Life Of Produce
Harvested, but Still Alive USAID Grocery-store produce behave differently in light and dark, study finds. Ever planted a potato that sprouted after you brought it home from the store? If so, you already know that your grocery-store produce is still, in many ways, alive. (If not, you should try it! Fun and frugal.) Plant parts, such as roots, branches and stems, are able to perform some metabolizing independently. For example, parts are able to exchange gases even while separated from the rest of the plant. That's why you can pick a rose off its bush and keep it in a vase for a few days, but you can't exactly do the same with, say, a caterpillar leg. Now, a team of biologists has determined that sold produce still responds to cycles of light and dark, the way whole plants respond to cycles of day and night. Those veggies that were exposed to light-dark...