Fruit Literacy for Anywhere
Fruit grows on plants all over the world. Different fruits come from different countries. These are apricots from Armenia. Fruit Level 2
Fruits and vegetables are different. Fruits have seeds but vegetables don’t. Some seeds are very big, like in a peach. Some seeds are tiny, like in a kiwi.
Fruits have seeds to make new plants. When animals eat fruit they carry the seeds far away. This lets plants grow in new places.
Fruits grow in different ways. Some grow together in groups. Others grow alone. Some fruits grow high up in the trees. Others grow close to the ground. Squash grows near the ground. People cook squash like a vegetable. It is a fruit because it has seeds.
Fruits can look very different. They can be small like a lychee. They can be large like a melon. A watermelon is a very large fruit.
Different fruits have different skin. Peaches feel soft and furry. Apples feel smooth and shiny. Lemons feel rough and hard.
Sometimes the skin of a fruit is good to eat. Apples have skin you can eat. Sometimes the skin of fruit is not good to eat. Longan skin is not good to eat. People take the skin off and eat the white part inside.
Some fruits look the same outside but different inside. This is a dragon fruit. Sometimes they are white on the inside. Sometimes they are purple.
Some fruits have many varieties. There are over 1,000 different types of banana. Bananas grow in over 100 different countries. These are red bananas from Tanzania.
Some countries can grow more fruit than others. Countries that are warm can grow many fruits. Mangoes grow well in warm countries.
Fruit is good to eat. It is good for our bodies. Fruits have vitamins that make us healthy. These are Oranges. They have a lot of vitamin C.
For some people, fruit is their job. They plant it, pick it, and sell it to make money. This woman sells fruit in Mexico.
Farmers plant seeds in the ground to grow fruit to sell. Grapes are grown on farms to make wine. These farms are called vineyards. There are many vineyards in France.
Some countries are cold. It is difficult for them to grow fruit. Fruits are sent all over the world for people to buy. These are bananas. They grow in warm places but are sold almost everywhere.
Some fruits are expensive. Only some people can buy them. These are durians. They grow in Malaysia. They can be very expensive.
In France, people eat fruit with bread. In Martinique, people eat fruit with their dinner. Some people eat fruit for dessert. This is mango and sticky rice. It is a dessert from Thailand.
We eat fruit as a food, but we can make it a drink too. When we drink fruit, we call it juice. This is mango juice.
Fruit can be made into jam. Jam is made from fruit and sugar. Jam lasts a long time. This is strawberry jam in jars.
Fruit is sometimes used to make art. Paintings use pictures of fruit. Some people even carve fruit. This is a watermelon carved to look like a flower.
Sometimes fruit can make a mess. In some countries there is a special party where people throw tomatoes at each other. It is called Tomatina.
Fruit is an important part of the world. Fruit allows plants to make new plants. Fruit gives us food to eat. It is an important way that animals and plants work together.
