A fruit is the fleshy or dry ripened ovary of a flowering plant, enclosing the seed or seeds. Apricots, bananas, and grapes, as well as bean pods, corn grains, tomatoes, cucumbers, and (in their shells) acorns and almonds, are all technically fruits. Quality factors for fruits include the following— maturity, firmness, the uniformity of size and shape, the absence of defects, skin and flesh color....
