Fruits and Vegetables APPLES  Eat the peel!

Most of the nutrients are in the peel and eating it will

help you stay healthy and prevent disease.  Apples float because ¼ of the fruit is made of air.  In
colonial time apples were called winter banana or melt-inthe-mouth.  Archeologists have found
evidence that humans have been enjoying apples since at least 6500 B.C.  7,500 different kinds of
apples are grown all over the world. ASPARAGUS  Asparagus grows out of the ground in single
stems, like pencils.  Don’t eat the berries of the asparagus plant – they’re poisonous!  This veggie
is high in antioxidants and low in sodium, which makes it great for keeping you from getting sick. 
The tips of the plant are the most tender and flavorful. BANANAS  Eating a banana can cheer you
up. Some people call them “nature’s good mood food” because the nutrients in bananas can make
you feel happy!  Bananas are a better source of energy than any other fruit and they are high in
potassium. Potassium is good for your heart and kidneys!  In the 1800’s, people were more excited
about seeing bananas for the first time than seeing a telephone for the first time.  A man in India
ate 81 bananas in half an hour.  Bananas love a tropical climate but they are even grown in Iceland,
in soil heated by natural hot water geysers. BELL PEPPERS o Bell peppers are shaped like a bell and
can be found in many different colors: green, yellow, orange, and red. o Each color of bell pepper
starts off green and as the pepper ripens it turns colors and gets sweeter! o Peppers have more
vitamin C than oranges, which helps you stay healthy. Red bell peppers are even good for your eye
sight! BLACKBERRIES  Blackberries are very high in fiber and Vitamin C which both help you to stay
healthy.  Some people eat blackberries to feel better when they have a stomach ache or feel sick to
their stomach.  Blackberries protect your heart with Vitamin E.  Blackberries are part of the rose
family. BLUEBERRIES  In the 1700’s, people used to mix blueberries with milk to make gray and blue
paint.  If all the blueberries grown in North America in one year were spread out in a single layer,
they would cover a four-lane highway that stretched from New York to Chicago.  Blueberries fight
cancer better than any other fruit!  The blueberry muffin is the official muffin of Minnesota.
BROCCOFLOWER  Broccoflower is a mix between broccoli & cauliflower.  Also known as, “Green
Ball” or “Green Cauliflower” because it is lime green!  Broccoflower is grown year round in
California.  You can get 90% of your vitamin C for the day from 1 serving of Broccoflower!
BROCCOLI  The name “broccoli” comes from the Latin word that means “arm”.  People have been
eating broccoli for 2,000 years!  Americans have only eaten broccoli for 200 years.  Broccoli is part
of the cabbage family.  Broccoli has 2 times the vitamin C as an orange! CABBAGE  Cabbage comes
in several colors including green and purple (known as “red” cabbage).  The biggest cabbage ever
weighed 123 pounds!  Cabbage is eaten around the world. Some people turn cabbage into Cole
slaw or sauerkraut.  Cabbage fights cancer! RED CABBAGE  Red cabbage is actually purple in color
and its coloring is similar to blueberries and flower petals.  Its bright color is what makes it fight
cancer and makes you healthy!  Red cabbage can be used for kitchen science experiments. 
Sometimes, the bright color of red cabbage is used as a dye for clothes. CANARY MELON  The
canary melon is in the same family as cantaloupe and honeydew melon.  This fruit was named
“canary melon” because of its bright yellow skin that is the same color as a canary bird.  The
outside should feel waxy when it is ready to eat.  Like other melons, Canary Melons are made
mostly of water and don’t have many calories or fat, making it a great choice for snacking!
CANTALOUPE  One serving (¼ of a medium melon) has more than 400% of your daily vitamin A, and
it has almost all of your daily vitamin C!  The first cantaloupes were grown in Cantaloupe, Italy,
which is where the fruit got its name.  Cantaloupe is very sweet. Try having it for dessert! CARROTS
 Carrots are not always orange and can also be found in purple, white, red or yellow.  Carrots were
first grown as a medicine not a food.  The longest carrot ever was almost 7 feet long!  Carrots are
good for your eyes, especially seeing at night, because of vitamin A. CAULIFLOWER  Cauliflower also
comes in yellow, purple, green, and orange varieties.  The French were the first make cauliflower a
popular vegetable.  Cauliflower is fat-free and low in calories.  The white part that you eat is called
the “curd”. CELERY  It may burn more calories to eat celery than is even in celery because you burn
calories chewing! Very low-calorie!  King Tut’s tomb was decorated with wild celery and other
vegetables.  One of the healthiest snacks is called “Ants on a Log”. You can make it at home by
putting peanut butter in the hollow part of the “log” (celery stick) and sticking raisins on it to look
like ants. CORN  Corn is a grain originally called maize, which is native to North America. It’s the
most widely grown grain crop in the country!  Grits are made by soaking corn in a kind of lye, then
drying and grinding the kernels.  In addition to being delicious and healthy, corn has uses in
medicine, industry, bio-fuel, and home decorating! EGGPLANT  Despite its large size and mild taste,
eggplant is actually classified as a berry!  Eggplant can be used in a variety of ways. Slightly bitter
when raw, it can be cooked with or without its purple skin and used in sauces, casseroles, or fried in
slices.  Eggplant has its origins in India, but it is now used frequently in French and Italian cuisine as
well as Asain recipes. GRAPEFRUIT  This sour addition to the citrus family is great as a low-calorie,
high fiber breakfast, squeezed into juice, or enjoyed in salads and other recipes.  The pulp varies
from yellow to red, and generally the redder the fruit, the sweeter it will taste.  The enzymes in
grapefruit help the body to metabolize food faster, making it a great diet food!  Studies show that
grapefruit may help to prevent breast cancer and reduce the signs of aging. KALE  Kale is a very dark
green or purple leaf, from the same family as cabbage and broccoli.  It’s a superfood! Kale is
extremely high in many important vitamins and minerals. It can even lower cholesterol and help
prevent cancer!  This leafy green is enjoyed worldwide, with every country having its own unique
ways of preparing and serving it.  Enjoy kale fresh in a salad, steamed as a green, or in any number
of different recipes. KIWI FRUIT  Native to China, this delicious green fruit is not to be confused with
the strange looking kiwi bird that is native to New Zealand!  A great source of vitamins C, E, and K,
as well as dietary fiber.  The acids in kiwi make it effective as a meat tenderizer, and also adds a
sweet flavor to any dish.  Every part of the kiwi fruit is edible and has nutritional value. Eat the fuzzy
skin for a huge boost in fiber and vitamin C! LEMONS  The enzymes in lemons help break down fish
oils, making lemon a great garnish for seafood.  Lemons have countless uses, from lemonade to
furniture polish. You can use most of the lemon fruit and trees. Leaves are made into tea, juice can
be used for cleaning, and oil squeezed from the peel is used in aromatherapy.  Squeeze lemon over
cut apples or bananas to keep them from turning brown! LETTUCE  Lettuce has its origins in ancient
Egypt, where it was originally treated a s weed!  Aside from its obvious uses in salads and
sandwiches, try using lettuce for wraps, as a low calorie substitute for tortillas. It’s also delicious
when grilled.  Lettuce is a good source for vitamin A, vitamin K, and potassium.  Make sure you
wash your lettuce thoroughly before eating, to get rid of pesticides as well as bacteria and viruses.
ONIONS  The pungent flavor of onions make it uncommon to enjoy them alone and raw, though
they make a tasty addition to sandwiches and salads.  The sugars released when cooking onions
make them a great addition to many culinary dishes.  Rubbing onions on your face and scalp can
help reduce freckles and promote hair growth!  To avoid crying when cutting onions, try doing it
under running water. ORANGES  Oranges were cultivated in China as far back as 2,500 B.C.  Ever
counted the segments of an orange? It almost always has ten.  Like most citrus fruits, oranges are a
delicious source of vitamin C.  The Unites States is the second largest exporter of oranges
worldwide, after Brazil. PAPAYA  Papaya is also known as the “Magical Melon of the Tropics”. 
Papaya has a special substance in it that helps us digest proteins better and faster. In the grocery
store, this substance is called “meat tenderizer” and helps make meat tender for you to eat.  Some
papayas are really small (1 pound) and some are really big (20 pounds)!  You can eat the seeds.
They taste like black pepper! PEACHES  There is an old saying, “You’re a real peach!” This saying
comes from an old tradition of giving a peach to a friend that you like.  In China, they believe that
peaches are good luck and will bring you a long life.  There are some peaches that grow flat like a
hockey puck!  Peaches have a very hard seed in the middle. Some people call peaches the “stone
fruit” because of the hard seed.  Georgia is called the “Peach State”.  Peaches are high in fiber and
low in calories. Peaches are very sweet because of natural sugars found in fruit. A peach is a good
choice to quench a sweet tooth! PEARS  In the 1800’s people would pay over $20 for one pear
because they are so delicious and sweet.  Eat the peel! The peel is loaded with fiber and nutrients
to keep you healthy!  Pears grow best in soil from volcanoes! California, Oregon, and Washington
are the best places to grow pears in the United States. PINEAPPLE  This fruit was named pineapple
because it looks like a pine cone but is a fruit like an apple.  Christopher Columbus brought a
pineapple to the Queen. She loved it so much that they tried to grow them in Europe but it was too
cold! They only grow where it is warm.  1/3 of the world’s pineapples are grown in Hawaii. 
Pineapples taste very sweet and have a lot of “good sugars” that are only found in fruit. PLANTAINS 
Plantains are similar to a banana but usually used as a vegetable rather than a fruit.  They are
cooked a lot in Caribbean countries and in Africa. They taste a lot like a potato.  When a plantain is
ripe and ready to eat, it will turn black. Sometimes they are eaten green and yellow too. PLUMS 
Plum trees were brought to California from France during the Gold Rush.  In 1905 there was a
farmer that needed helping picking his plums. He couldn’t find any help so he used 500 monkeys to
help him pick his fruit! They were good at picking the plums but they really liked to eat them too! All
of his fruit was picked, and then eaten, by his monkey workers!!!  Prunes are dried plums.  Plums
are very high in vitamin C, which keeps you healthy. Vitamin A helps you see at night and vitamin K
helps you make scabs. That’s a whole lot of reasons to eat a plum! POMEGRANATES  Pomegranates
may be one of the oldest fruits in the world.  Free radicals are the “bad guys” in your body that can
damage your cells and make you sick. Pomegranates are packed with antioxidants that fight off free
radicals, keeping your heart healthy and your body free of cancer!  Many religions, such as
Christianity and Buddhism, use the pomegranate as a symbol in their art.  Ancient Romans used
pomegranate peelings as leather.  Scientists are still studying all of the wonderful things that
pomegranates do for your health! One thing is for sure, they are VERY good for you! POTATOES  Try
eating the skin! Potato skins contain lots of nutrients including fiber, iron, calcium, zinc, phosphorous
and B vitamins. Potatoes are fat free if they aren’t fried in oil!  In 1995 the potato was the first
vegetable grown in outer space.  A pound of potato chips cost 200 times more than a pound of
potatoes! That is because of all the potatoes that are wasted to turn them into chips.  In France,
potato blossoms used to be worn in women’s hair as a fashion statement.  During the gold rush,
potatoes were as valuable as gold. Miners would actually trade gold for potatoes! RADISHES 
Radishes grow very quickly and the word “radish” in Greek actually means “fast appearing”. 
Radishes fight cancer!  There are many colors of radishes including: red, pink, white, and black.
Some kinds grow up to 100 pounds or more!  Radishes are part of the mustard family. RASPBERRIES
 Raspberries are really high in fiber which will keep you healthy and feeling good!  The Crusaders
wrote poems about raspberries because they loved them so much.  Some cultures say that eating
raspberries will make you fall in love.  In the 1700’s people used raspberries for sore eyes and
throats and even to clean their teeth! SPINACH  Popeye the Sailor Man was a popular cartoon
character that loved to eat spinach. Spinach gave him big muscles. During the 1930’s so many people
wanted to be like Popeye that spinach became popular.  The healthiest way to eat spinach is fresh.
Frozen or canned spinach is good too.  There is a spinach festival every year in Arkansas. STAR
FRUIT  Can you guess where this fruit got its name?  Another name for star fruit is the
“carambola”.  Star fruit are tropical fruit grown in Florida and Hawaii.  Star fruit are high in vitamin
C to keep you healthy! STRAWBERRIES  Some people eat strawberries to feel better when they
have a headache because it has one of the same ingredients as aspirin!  Strawberries are the only
fruit with seeds on the outside of their skin. There are about 200 seeds on each berry.  Strawberries
are good for your skin and hair because of vitamins A & C.  People once believed that elves could
make their cows have more milk and elves loved strawberries. Farmers would tie baskets of
strawberries to their cows’ horns to bribe the elves in hopes of getting more milk from their cows! 
The biggest strawberry ever was as big as an apple! TANGERINES  The tangerine is a type of
Mandarin orange.  Tangerines are sometimes called “Christmas oranges” because some children
get them in their Christmas stockings.  The name “Tangerine” comes from the city Tangier,
Morocco where people first shipped the fruit by boat to Europe.  Tangerines are easy to peel and
very healthy, making them a great snack! TOMATOES  There are 10,000 different kinds of
tomatoes!  Tomatoes can either be called a fruit or a vegetable, depending on the definition. Either
one is right!  There is a legend that says a man tried to kill George Washington by feeding him a
tomato. What the man didn’t know was that tomatoes are not poisonous! They are actually really
healthy!  Ketchup, salsa, spaghetti sauce, and even pizza sauce are all really good for you because
they are made of tomatoes! They even protect you against cancer!  Lycopene is what makes
tomatoes red. Lycopene is an important antioxidant, which fights off the free radicals that try to hurt
your body. WATERMELON  Watermelon is 92% water. Early explorers used them as canteens.  In
other countries they eat the whole watermelon! In Asia they roast the seeds to eat them. In Russia
they turn the green rinds into pickles!  The biggest watermelon ever weighed 262 pounds and was
grown in Tennessee!!!  Watermelon is a perfect health food! It will keep you feeling full but is low
in calories and fat free. Plus, it tastes delicious!