Fun Facts

• The average strawberry has 200 seeds.
• Strawberries are the first fruit to ripen in spring.
• Strawberries are the only fruit with their seeds on the outside of their skin.
• The ancient Romans used to think that strawberries had medicinal powers.
• A strawberry plant is what is known as a perennial plant. This means that if you plant them this year then they will grow back next year, and the year after that (and maybe even the year after that). They may not always bear fruit but once they do, they will keep growing fruit for 5 years.

Where do we come from?

Strawberries or strawberry flavoured foods are very popular all across the world. Strawberries themselves are fresh and juicy and they can be used in juices, ice-creams, pies, milkshakes, chocolate and many other foods.

The first strawberries were grown in France but now America is the world’s largest grower of strawberries. Other countries, such as Turkey, Spain, Egypt, Mexico, Russia and South Korea are also global leaders in strawberry production.

Test yourself! Can you locate all of these countries on the map?

We are good for you!

Like all fruits and vegetables, strawberries are low in sodium, calories and fats and they contain lots of dietary fibre. However, strawberries are especially good for you because …

• They contain lots of vitamin C which is good for your skin, bones and blood.

Saving your own strawberry seeds

You can save the seeds from your strawberries that you eat at home, and then have a go at growing your own plants – it is so easy! All you need to do it …

• Put your ripe strawberries in a blender.
• Add a cup of water to the blender and blend on a high setting for 3-5 seconds (if you leave it longer than this the seeds may get damaged).
• Let the blended mixture rest for 2 minutes.
• The useable seeds will sink and the unusable ones will float, along with the strawberry flesh.
• Once this has happened, pour off the unusable seeds, strawberry flesh and the water.
• Rinse the remaining seeds (the ones left at the bottom of the blender) with water.
• Transfer the seeds to a paper towel and leave them to dry completely.
• Store the seeds in a cool and dry place, ready for planting.

When you plant strawberries from seeds you want to keep them indoors (either in a greenhouse or on your windowsill) in the early springtime to protect the plants from frost.

Did you know …

… Strawberries are famously served, with cream, every year at the Wimbledon tennis championships in London. They are absolutely delicious, you should definitely try this at home!

Get Cooking! Strawberries with scones.

Fun facts

• A tomato is a fruit not a vegetable. This is because tomatoes have seeds and they grow from a flowering plant.
• There are more than 7,500 different types of tomatoes grow across the world.
• Tomatoes can be many different colours including yellow, pink, purple, black and even white.
• Tomato seedlings have been grown in space before!
• Tomatoes can be used in loads of different dishes and key cooking ingredients, including sandwiches, salads, pasta sauce, ketchup, chutneys and soup.
• Tomatoes are actually 95% water.

Where do we come from?

Tomatoes were first grown in Peru, where they were eaten by the Aztec Indians. Today they are grown and eaten all around the world. China is currently the world leader in tomato growing, closely followed by India, America, Turkey, Egypt, Iran and Italy.

Test yourself! Can you locate all of these countries on the map?

We are good for you!

Like all fruits and vegetables, tomatoes are low in sodium, calories and fat and they contain a lot of dietary fibre. But tomatoes are especially good for you because …

• They contain lots of vitamin C, which is good for your skin, bones and blood.
• They contain lots of vitamin K, which is good for healing wounds.

Grow your own at home!

Tomatoes are really easy to grow at home, and there are so many different types to choose from.

• Fill a small pot, nearly to the top, with compost and tap it so that it is level.
• Place the tomato seed on the surface.
• Cover the seed with compost.
• Place the pot on a warm and sunny windowsill.
• Once two seed leaves have forms, plant them out into bigger (5-8 cm) pots.
• Wait until late May or mid-June (when the risk of frost has passed) to transfer the plants from the pots, to the ground. At this point the plants should have formed their first flowers and the roots should fill the pots.

Vine tomatoes need to be supported by stakes or canes which have been firmly pushed into the ground. The plants will also need to be watered on a regular basis.

Did you know …

… La Tomatina is the biggest tomato fight in the world, which happens every year in the Spanish town of Bunol. Around 40,000 people throw over 150,000 tomatoes at each other!

Fun Facts

• Ugli fruits are part of the citrus family.
• An ugli fruit as a hybrid variety, made up of a cross between a grapefruit, and orange and a tangerine.
• It tastes a bit like a lemon mixed with a tangerine.
• It is called an ugli fruit as it looks well … ugly! This skin is loose fitting and greenish-yellow in colour.
• An ugli fruit has very few seeds inside of it.
• Inside the skin are pinkish-yellow or orangey-yellow segments of fruit, just like in a grapefruit. However, unlike the tarte taste of a grapefruit, the ugli fruit is sweet.

Where do we come from?

The ugli fruit was only discovered about 80 years ago, growing in Jamaica, and is also known as the Jamaican tangelo. Today, most ugli fruits still come from Jamaica, however they are sold in some supermarkets across America, some European countries and some parts of Scandinavia.

Test yourself! Can you locate these countries on the map?

We are good for you!

Like all fruits and vegetables the ugli fruit is low in sodium, calories and fats and it is also high in dietary fibre. However, the ugli fruit is especially good for you because …

• It contains lots of vitamin C which is good for your skin, bones and blood.
• It contains lots of B vitamins.

How to eat me

Even though we are not the ugli fruit is not the prettiest fruit to look at, it sure does taste delicious. They can sometimes be tricky to get hold of, as they are only in season between December and April, but if you see them in the supermarket, you should definitely give them a try! Here are a few tips on how to know when they are ripe, and how to eat them:

• Choose a fruit that is heavy for its size, as you cannot tell how ripe the fruit is by looking at its colour (the fruit should give a little when you push it with your thumb, but it should not be mushy).
• Wash the fruit under cool water before you eat it.
• Cut the fruit in half (like you would with a grapefruit) – if you are using a sharp knife, you will want an adult to help you with this.
• Loosen the segments and eat it straight out of the peel with a spoon.
• OR you could peel it (like you would with a tangerine) and eat the segments one by one.

You can eat ugli fruit on its own as a snack, or you can add it to other dishes like salads. It is also a good to use in fresh juices or jams.

Challenge …

… Like we said before the ugli fruit is part of the citrus family, just like oranges, tangerines and grapefruits. There are many similarities and differences between all of these fruits – can you spot them all?

Fun Facts

• The best vanilla beans are in pods which are fragrant, dark brown or black in colour, glossy, moist, supple and long.
• The thing black seeds are scraped from the pod using a sharp knife.
• You should never store vanilla beans in the fridge as they will go hard and crystallise. You should keep them in cool and dark place.
• There are over 150 different types of vanilla.
• Most vanilla is used in the dairy industry, to create yummy ice creams, yoghurts and flavoured milk.

Where do we come from?

Vanilla beans were first grown in Mexico, though they are no longer the leading growers of the plant. Growing vanilla beans is very tricky and it requires lots of work and dedication from farmers. Today, most of the world’s vanilla is grown in Madagascar or Indonesia. Other countries such as China, Mexico, Papua New Guinea and Turkey are also growers of the plant, however they grow a lot less than the leading countries.

Test yourself! Can you locate all of these countries on the map?

The Vanilla Orchid

Vanilla is the only edible fruit of the orchid family. The beautiful flower only blooms for 24 hours. During this time it must be pollinated or else it will die. The vanilla is taken from the beans that grow along the vines. After the beans are picked, they are treated with hot water and then they are left in the sun all day for weeks (or sometimes months) until they have shrunk to 20% of their starting size.

We think that these flowers are beautiful and definitely some of the prettiest that we have ever seen! What do you think? Send us some pictures of some of your favourite flowers in the garden!

Get Cooking! Easy vanilla ice cream

Watermelon

Fun Facts

• Watermelons are 92% water, so not only are they delicious but they help keep you hydrated too!
• The Guinness World Record for the heaviest watermelon weighed 159 kg. That’s more than a tiger!
• In Japan they know how to grow square watermelons.
• You can eat the whole watermelon if you want to! Most people do not eat the rind (the outside bit), but it can be cooked and put into stews and other tasty meals to eat.
• Some watermelons are pink but others can be green or even yellow. The yellow ones are sweeter, and some people say that they taste like honey.

Where do we come from?

China is by far the world’s largest producer of watermelon. It is grown in the Gansu province where there is an ideal climate for growing watermelons. In 2018, China produced 79.2 million tonnes of watermelon. Other countries such as Turkey and Iran also grow large amounts of watermelon, however it is still no where near as much as is grown in China.

Test yourself! Can you locate all of these countries on the map?

We are good for you!

Like all fruits and vegetables, watermelons are low in sodium, calories and fats and they are also high in dietary fibre. However, watermelons are especially good for you because …

• It contains lots of vitamins B6 which allows the body to use and store energy from protein and carbohydrates in food.

Quiz Questions: Can you remember the facts?

• Is the highest recorded wight for a watermelon heavier than … a rhino, a tiger or a giraffe?
• Which country can grow square watermelons? Japan, England or Australia
• Which watermelon is sweeter? Yellow or Green
• What percentage of a watermelon is water? 34%, 67% or 92%
• Which part of the watermelon can you eat?

Get Cooking: Watermelon juice

Fun Facts

• The Ximenia Americana is also known as the hog plum, a yellow plum, tallow wood or a sea lemon.
• The leaves of the tree are oval shaped and bright green.
• The plant has a strong almond smell.
• The trees can grow up to 10m tall, though they are usually smaller.

Where do we grow?

This plant is gathered from the wild. It is grown in the tropics and sub-tropics of Asia, North and North-East Australia, Africa and North and South America.

Test yourself! Can you locate all of these areas on the map?

Help us out!

We really struggled to think of any fruits or vegetables that started with an X! Can you think of any? Let us know if you do!

Fun Facts

• Passion fruits grow on climbing vine plants.
• Yellow passion fruits are available to eat throughout the summer and in the late winter months.
• The inside of the yellow skin is soft and white, and similar to the purple passion fruits, the edible pulp is yellow-orange with small brown seeds (you can eat the seeds too)!
• Under perfect growing conditions, the yellow passion fruit trees bear more fruit than the purple passion fruit trees.
• Products of the yellow passion fruit are used by chemists to give different products a tropical smell.

Where do we come from?

It is thought that the yellow passion fruit was first grown in the Amazon region of Brazil, and it is a hybrid of the purple passion fruit. It is a tropical fruit and therefore it grows in areas which receive enough rainfall and sunshine. The vines also grow better if they are sheltered from the wind.

Today the yellow passion fruit is also grown in Australia, New Zealand, Hawaii, Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela and India.

Test yourself! Can you locate all of these countries on the map?

We are good for you!

Like all fruits and vegetables, the yellow passion fruit is low in sodium, calories and fats and it contains a lot of dietary fibre. However, the yellow passion fruit is especially good for you because …

• They contain lots of vitamin C which is good for your skin, bones and blood.

The Passion Fruit Flower

Both yellow and purple passion fruits are members of the Passion Flower family. Today, there are nearly 500 different types of passion flower but the yellow and purple passion fruits are 2 of the only type which are grown commercially.

This is a photograph of a yellow passion fruit flower. We think it is absolutely stunning! Look how bright the colours are! Why don’t you try drawing it? Or you could send us a photograph or picture of your favourite flower! We love to see what you come up with.

Get Cooking! Cultural recipe ideas

Yellow passion fruits are popular all across the world, and different countries have different ways of eating them! Here are a few ideas that you could try at home, you could even come up with your own recipes!

• In Venezuela, yellow passion fruit is often used to make ice creams, preserves and popular flavoured drinks.
• In Hawaii, yellow passion fruit is used as flavouring in syrups and for pouring over shaved ice.

We also love use a spoon to scoop out the pulp and putting it on top of meringues or yoghurt. Let us know what yo come up with!

Fun Facts

• A zucchini is also commonly called a courgette.
• If you are brave enough, the flower of the zucchini plant is also edible.
• The smaller to medium sized zucchinis have the best flavour – not the biggest.
• A zucchini contains more potassium than a banana.
• Even though it is usually served as a vegetable, zucchini is in fact as fruit. This is because it comes from a flower.

Where do we come from?

Zucchini were first grown in Italy, and so the name zucchini comes from the Italian word for squash ‘zucca’. Today it has many different names in different parts of the world, including marrow, baby marrow and courgette. Spain currently grows the most zucchini, followed by New Zealand, Mexico, Morocco, Holland and Turkey.

Test yourself! Can you locate all of these countries on the map?

We are good for you!

Like all fruits a vegetables, zucchini is low in sodium, calories and fats and it contains a lot of dietary fibre. However, zucchini is especially good for you because …

• It is a good source of vitamin C, which is good for your skin, bones and blood,
• It is a good source of vitamin B6, which allows the body to use and store energy from protein and carbohydrates in food.

Grow your own at home!

Zucchini is a really easy plant to grow at home. You get a very large plant with very little effort! The latest time to plant your seeds in June time, just follow these steps:

• Plant 2 seeds in a pot containing compost. Push each seed in vertically.
• Keep the plants well watered on a window-sill.
• Remove the weakest plant.
• After 4 weeks plant them out into the garden with about a metre between plants.
• Make sure you keep watering your plants.
• Harvest when the fruit is about 10 cm long. This should be roughly 10 weeks after you plant your seeds. The zucchini should keep growing until September time!

Get Cooking! Ratatouille

Not all children like zucchini, so cooking them in a tomato sauce like a ratatouille can be a really good way to enjoy them!

We love jam, and we definitely think it tastes better when it is homemade. It is best served with some fresh bread and butter or even cheese and crackers as an afternoon snack. Make sure your empty jam jars are completely sterile before you use them, and don’t forget to keep your jam in the fridge once you have opened it.

Ingredients:

• 500g fresh figs
• 1 orange
• 200g granulated sugar
• 1 lemon

Method:

1. Wash and chop your fresh figs. It is up to you how big you want the fig chunks to be, the smaller the pieces the smoother the jam.
2. Add the figs and 75ml of water into a large saucepan.
3. Let the mixture simmer for 5 minutes, or until the figs are soft.
4. Zest half of the orange and juice half of the lemon whilst you let the figs simmer.
5. Add the orange zest, lemon juice and the sugar to the mixture.
6. Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring regularly for 7 minutes, or until the jam has thickened (spoon off any scum from the surface whilst you do this).
7. Once it has thickened, remove the jam from the heat and leave it to cool for 10 minutes.
8. Pour the jam into your clean jars and seal the lids. Leave the jam to cool completely.

These banana and peanut butter bites are one of our favourites! They are really easy and fun to make as there is no cooking involved. We think that they are absolutely delicious, but what’s even better is that they are good for you too. They are great as a healthy snack or they even go well as an after-dinner treat.

Ingredients:

• 1 tub of your favourite peanut butter (smooth or crunchy, it is completely up to you)
• 3 bananas
• 1 x 100g bar of dark chocolate

Method:

1. Peel your bananas and then slice them into even pieces.
2. Take a spoon and put a dollop of peanut butter on half of your banana slices.
3. Place the remaining banana slices on top of the peanut butter (just like making a banana sandwich with peanut butter in the middle).
4. Place your banana and peanut butter sandwiches on a baking tray and put them in the freezer for about half an hour.
5. Once your bites are ready to come out of the freezer, break up your chocolate into a glass bowl.
6. Melt the chocolate, you can do this in the microwave or over a saucepan of boiling water. Be careful as it is hot! (If you choose to melt the chocolate in the microwave make sure you are extra careful that it doesn’t burn).
7. Finally, drizzle the chocolate over your banana bites and then put them back in the freezer for another half an hour, until the chocolate solidifies and they are ready to eat!

These burgers are absolutely delicious and, even better, they are so good for you! This is a great option for vegan or vegetarians and it is super easy to prepare. Once you have tried them, you will be choosing them over beef burgers every time!

We have used tinned jackfruit because it is much more common in supermarkets. However, if you have fresh jackfruit then that will work just as well.

Ingredients

• 2 x 400g tins of jackfruit
• 1 x 200g tin of chopped tomatoes
• 1 red onion
• 2 tsp tabasco sauce
• 1tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 4 tbsp BBQ sauce
• 1tsp cinnamon
• 1tsp cumin seeds
• 2 tsp smoked paprika

Method

1. Heat some oil in a frying pan and finely chop the red onion before adding it to the pan.
2. Once the onion is soft, stir in the cinnamon, cumin seeds and the smoked paprika.
3. After heating for a few minutes, add the tabasco sauce, as well as the apple cider vinegar and the BBQ sauce to the pan.
4. Mix well then add the chopped tomatoes and both cans of jackfruit, once it has been drained of the liquid.
5. Add 200ml of water and leave to simmer for 30 minutes, stirring after every 5 minutes, with the lid on the pan.
6. Remove the lid and cook for a further 10 minutes before serving.
7. You can serve your burgers however we see best. We recommend fresh bread rolls, with some fresh lettuce, coleslaw and cheese (if your vegan you can always use vegan cheese). If you are really hungry we recommend some sweet potato wedges as a side – they are delicious and very easy to make.

This dessert is quick, easy and absolutely loved by everybody! We recommend serving it with a drizzle of cream, a scoop of vanilla ice-cream or a dollop of custard for the whole family to enjoy.

Ingredients:

• 3 or 4 cooking apples
• 50g soft brown caster sugar
• 100g self-raising flour
• 50g butter or margarine
• 50g golden caster sugar
• 1/2 tsp ginger powder
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon powder
• 20cm x 25cm ovenproof dish

Method:

1. Peel, core and slice your apples before putting them in a large saucepan until it is half-full.
2. Add a small amount of water, just enough to cover the bottom of the saucepan (not the fruit) and add the soft brown caster sugar to taste – it is better to start with less and add more later if your apples taste too sharp.
3. Cook on a medium heat until the apples are soft (between 6 to 10 minutes).
4. Whilst the apples are cooking you can prepare the crumble mixture by rubbing together the flour and the butter (or margarine) until it reaches a breadcrumb texture.
5. Mix most of the golden caster sugar into flour and butter mixture, but save some for the top.
6. You can add 50g of rolled oats and chopped nuts for a more crunchy topping.
7. Add the ginger and cinnamon powder to the apples and mix together – this step is optional, you can always leave one or both of them out if you would like.
8. Pour your apple mixture into your ovenproof dish, making sure the filling is level before covering in the crumble mixture.
9. Finally, add the left-over golden caster sugar on top of the crumble.
10. Cook in the oven at 180 degrees celsius for 30 minutes, until the crumble is golden on the top.

Now, more than ever, it is important to make sure you are getting the most out of your food!

With a limited variety of food on supermarket shelves and essential shopping trips only being made a few times a week, Kidsfruit wants to make sure that we are all getting the most out of our weekly shops. We have come up with a few ideas to help you use all the food in the kitchen and stop you from throwing anything away!

1. Fruit Smoothies and Juices

There is nothing better than a fruit smoothie to quench your thirst. They are absolutely delicious and they fill you up too, to stop you from getting hungry in between your meals!

When your fruit is looking a little over-ripe, make sure you give it a wash, peel and chop it up before putting it in the blender. Then add some liquid to thin it out – we recommend some yoghurt with a bit of milk for a more filling smoothie, or some fruit juice (you can use water if you do not have any) and some ice for a more refreshing drink.

You can try many different combinations of fruit (or sometimes even vegetables) that you want! Sometimes we even add spreads and oats for extra flavour!

Our favourite breakfast smoothie is; one banana, a dollop a peanut butter, half a cup of oat milk, some crushed ice and a drizzle of honey – give it a try, we promise it is delicious!

If you make too much you can always put in in the freezer and save it for another day, or eat it as a frozen dessert (this works the best for yoghurt-based smoothies).

2. Jams

Homemade jams can be a bit tricky to make, but they are delicious if you get it right. The quantities matter much more for this so make sure you use your weighing scales!

To make jam you generally need around 900g of any fruit of your choice. The traditionally strawberry jam is delicious but we love black-current jam the most. Give it a try and let us know how you get on!

3. Soups

Soups are perfect for any vegetables that you have left lying around the house, and they make the yummiest lunches! You could even have a go at making some fresh bread if you have time on your hands.

Start by chopping the vegetables and frying with some oil in a saucepan. Don’t forget to add your spices and seasoning for extra flavours. Once the vegetables are soft add one stock cube and some boiling water, just enough to cover your vegetables. Turn the heat to medium-low and leave to simmer for about 30 minutes. You can blend your soup or leave it as a chunky vegetable broth, it is completely up to you!

Give it a go and let us know how you get on! We love to hear all of your suggestions!

Whenever you are cooking, you should always make sure you have an adult to help you with anything that is sharp or hot.

Kidsfruit has teamed up with the Guide dogs charity to support and give back to disadvantaged members of our community.

At the moment there are around 2 million people in the UK living with sight loss. For these people, the world can be a very scary and lonely place. The Guide dogs charity works to help the lives of people living with partial or complete sight loss by training and looking after young guide dogs until they are able to work, as well as providing additional educational and family support to those that need it.

Kidsfruit has sponsored one of their new puppies, called Ruby. She is a golden retriever, who is very curious and loves exploring her surroundings. She is currently being trained by the Puppy Walkers, Trainers and Volunteers at Guide dogs, to make sure she will become an excellent guide dog!

Keep visiting this page to stay keep updated with Ruby and how she is getting on!

To find out more about the work of the Guide dogs charity, or to sponsor a puppy of your own, visit their website: www.guidedogs.ork.uk

On February 24th the Kidsfruit team helped to celebrate Maslenitsa! The Russian Holiday which celebrates the end of Winter and the start of the Spring.

Why have a Pancake Day, when you can have a Pancake Week?

Yes, That’s right! In Russia they dedicate a whole week to eating pancakes, filled with all sorts of delicious fruits and eating them with friends and family.

Maslenitsa is one of the oldest surviving Slavic holidays, celebrating the last week before the start of Lent. Traditionally, this week marked the final week where people were allowed to eat eggs, milk, butter and other dairy products before Lent started. Much like Shrove Tuesday in the Christian calendar, this has come to mean a week of using up these products to create many different pancakes with a variety of yummy fillings.

Each day of Maslenitsa has a different focus, with the final Sunday dedicated to the burning of the Lady Maslenitsa doll. The ashes are then scattered across the fields to fertilise the new spring crops.

Our favourite, fresh fruit, pancake fillings are raspberries and strawberries, blueberries with honey, banana and chocolate, or sometimes even lemon and sugar! What are yours?