378. Parts of the Tree Other Than Fruit

52:8 Herbs that grow wild, even though they can be eaten raw and are considered a main item when cooked, nevertheless their bracha is shehakol. On the other hand, things like lettuce, which are planted and cultivated, are ho’adomah. If things that grow wild have significant fruits, like raspberries, their bracha is ho’adomah.

52:9 Something that is not the important part of a fruit is not considered the same as the fruit itself, but a level lower. Therefore, for a lesser part of a fruit tree (whose fruit is ho’eitz), we would say hoa’domah. For a lesser part of a ground plant (whose produce is ho’adomah), we would say shehakol. Caper berries, for example, are ho’eitz. The edible leaves and nuts of the caper tree, however, are secondary produce whose bracha is ho’adomah. Similarly, candied orange peel is ho’adomah and fried zucchini peels are shehakol. (Mishnah Brurah 202:39 cites opinions that candied orange peel should be shehakol, ho’eitz or ho’adomah. He advises following the opinion that says to recite shehakol but he qualifies it by saying that ho’eitz or ho’adomah would work after the fact.) The pods of beans that grow in the fields are shehakol when eaten without their beans. However, those that are grown in gardens with the intention that they will be eaten with their beans are ho’adomah, even when eaten separately.