Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Fruits, Veggies & Latin America


During the summertime, we love growing our own veggies and fruits. Having a garden is a great way to encourage kids to eat their recommended "5 a Day" servings of fruits and vegetables. We also enjoy visiting our local U-pick farms to harvest our own fresh food. But, since we live in "el norte" - gardening is not an option for us during the snowy winter months.

An abundance of produce is imported to the USA from Central and South America during the winter months. So, here's a fun activity to do with your kids that will hopefully encourage them to eat their fruits and vegetables, and will also teach them a little about the location of Latin American countries. It's easy to identify the country of origin on a piece of produce by simply looking at the sticker! Here's what we've enjoyed so far:

Cantelope and watermelon from Guatemala and Honduras
Grapes and blueberries from Chile
Strawberries, lettuces and avocados from Mexico
Bananas from Equador and Colombia
Apples from Argentina

Save those produce stickers! Get out a map of Latin America and locate those countries on the map. Attach the stickers to the map to see where your fruits and veggies were grown. For an outline map of Latin America that you can print, click here.

For a visual guide to tropical Latin American produce with links to recipes visit Epicurious.com Happy snacking! MMMM! Delicioso!