A fruit can be ripe for consumption (culinary ripeness), and it can be ripe for seed-bearing (botanical ripeness). You can see the difference with cucumbers, which are ripe for eating when they are green and the seeds are barely developed, while they are close to inedible when ripe for seed-bearing. Then they will turn yellow, the pulp shrinks down and becomes slimy and the seeds become big and hard.
No, most are actually at their best when the seeds are ripe too, but there are others where culinary ripeness doesn’t equal seed ripeness, like e.g.green bell peppers.
Another similar thing is the definition of ripe.
A fruit can be ripe for consumption (culinary ripeness), and it can be ripe for seed-bearing (botanical ripeness). You can see the difference with cucumbers, which are ripe for eating when they are green and the seeds are barely developed, while they are close to inedible when ripe for seed-bearing. Then they will turn yellow, the pulp shrinks down and becomes slimy and the seeds become big and hard.
Oh dang, I hadn’t even considered that! I wonder if that’s the same across all fruits we tend to eat raw.
No, most are actually at their best when the seeds are ripe too, but there are others where culinary ripeness doesn’t equal seed ripeness, like e.g.green bell peppers.
Ah, once again, nature refuses to be easily categorized! Thanks.