Minimizing vegetable waste helps the environment and your budget. But some parts harbor toxins unsafe for consumption—here's what to skip.
Avoid these parts:
1. Potato sprouts
Potatoes, part of the nightshade family, form solanine—a natural toxin—in response to light, concentrating in sprouts and green skin spots. Small traces are harmless, but always cut them away before cooking.
Read more about nightshades.
2. Tomato leaves
Tomatoes are nightshades too, so their leaves are inedible.
3. Berries from the asparagus plant
Growing asparagus? Those eye-catching red berries are toxic and can cause illness if eaten.
4. Apple seeds
Apples count here too. Seeds contain cyanide, deadly in high doses. The seed coating protects you, needing 100 grams of chewed seeds for lethality. Safely enjoy the fruit, but spit out the seeds.
