February 2-6, 2015
What on Earth is an Ugli Fruit?
The children were very curious about this unknown fruit in Nutrition Expedition this week! I brought my "mystery bag" with the ugli fruit inside, and they guessed it was an orange or a lemon. When I revealed what the mystery was, they were very surprised and thought it had a silly name. We talked about the origin of the ugli fruit (Jamaica), what it tastes like (a mix between an orange, a grapefruit, and a tangerine), and what kinds of nutrients our bodies get from it (fiber, vitamin C).
This form of tangelo was discovered in Jamaica roughly 80 years ago, and is a hybrid of a grapefruit, orange, and tangerine. It grows on a tree, and was given its unfortunate moniker based on its unsightly appearance. The juicy, sweet, and tangy fruit on the inside belies its appearance on the outside, however. This particular fruit that I chose from the produce section was a bit on the sour side, but once our tastebuds adjusted, it was quite pleasant! If you would like to learn more about the ugli fruit, click on the link below:
For our nibble trays this week, I decided to take a groundhog approach! In honor of Groundhog's Day on February 2, I selected some healthy treats that groundhogs, or woodchucks, also enjoy (spinach, corn, carrots, green beans, peas, and apples). They love eating grasses and other plants, but also enjoy foraging through agricultural crops. They are a farmer's worst nightmare! A groundhog can even climb trees to access fruit! I showed the children a power point I put together about this pesky animal, which included pictures, facts about groundhogs, sound clips, and a few short video clips. After our discussion, we went to the tables to try the groundhog snacks. We even charted what the children liked and didn't like. I took it a step further with the older children, and asked them to rate each item from 0-5 based on taste. The Golden Delicious apple came out the winner! Check out this great video about groundhogs that we viewed:
