Snackster Sam Blog
Our recipes and activities are always Snackster Sam approved and kid approved.
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Cauliflower is a vegetable that can be used in a variety of ways, but did you know it's actually a flower? HOW IT GROWS Cauliflower plants grow about 1.5 feet tall. The plant has large rounded leaves. In the center of the plant grows a firm group of flowers, which is the cauliflower. When the cauliflower is about the size of a tennis ball, the leaves surrounding it are tied together to shade the cauliflower. Growers could skip this step, but the cauliflower would turn yellow and buyers prefer white cauliflower. Watch to learn more about How it Grows! DID YOU KNOW
HOW TO EAT IT You can eat cauliflower fresh. It is also enjoyed roasted (baked). It is not recommended to boil it, because it will turn to mush - it's a flower after all!
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Did you know you can eat the broccoli sprouts, the leaves, and the flower? The flower is the part you normally eat! Potato in Spanish is patata A potato is a root vegetable, the Solanum tuberosum. It is a small plant with large leaves. The part of the potato that people eat is a tuber that grows under the ground. A potato contains a lot of starch and other carbohydrates. Potato usually has a light-brown or yellowish skin and is white or yellow inside. If the potato gets light on it, the tuber turns green and will be poisonous (only if you eat a lot). History The potato is originally from the high and cool areas of the Andes of Peru. It was grown as a food crop more than 7,000 years ago. When Spanish conquistadores came to South America in the 1500s they took potatoes back to Europe. It took nearly 200 years for the potato to become a widely grown crop. In the 1780s the farmers in Ireland began growing potatoes because they grew well in the poor soils. They also have most of the vitamins that people need to survive. The Irish became so dependent on the potato that when the crop failed in 1845 there was a famine and many people starved to death. The potato plant is now grown in many different parts of the world. Captain William Bligh planted potatoes on Bruny Island, Tasmania in 1792. In Australia they are now the largest vegetable crop. Cooking Potatoes are almost always eaten cooked. People cook potatoes by boiling, baking, roasting, or frying them. French fries are potatoes cut into long pieces and fried until they are soft. Potato chips are potatoes cut into very thin round pieces and fried. Source: Potato Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.  Thank you to KGHS for interviewing the author and creator of Snackster Sam on "Never on a Sunday."
Danielle (D.R. Winter) explains how Snackster Sam started, why it matters, and how the Snackster Sam app can help families. A pumpkin is a gourd. They are usually orange, but they can also be white. Pumpkins are spheres or stretched-out spheres. People can eat pumpkins. Often people make pumpkins into pies. People can eat and cook pumpkin seeds. People also use pumpkins for decoration, for example when people make jack-o-lanterns at Halloween. It also has a few noted medicinal use, which are traditionally used in India. In New Zealand and Australian English, the term pumpkin generally refers to the broader category called winter squash elsewhere. As one of the most popular crops in the United States, in 2017 over 680,000,000 kilograms (1.5 billion pounds) of pumpkins were produced. The top pumpkin-producing states include Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and California. According to the Illinois Department of Agriculture, 95% of the U.S. crop intended for processing is grown in Illinois. Nestlé, operating under the brand name Libby's, produces 85% of the processed pumpkin in the United States, at their plant in Morton, Illinois. In the fall of 2009, rain in Illinois devastated the Nestlé crop, which combined with a relatively weak 2008 crop depleting that year's reserves resulted in a shortage affecting the entire country during the Thanksgiving holiday season. Another shortage, somewhat less severe, affected the 2015 crop. The pumpkin crop grown in the western United States, which constitutes approximately 3-4% of the national crop, is primarily for the organic market. Pumpkins are a warm-weather crop that is usually planted in early July. The specific conditions necessary for growing pumpkins require that soil temperatures 8 centimetres (3 in) deep are at least 15.5 °C (60 °F) and that the soil holds water well. Pumpkin crops may suffer if there is a lack of water or because of cold temperatures (in this case, below 18 °C or 65 °F; frost can be detrimental), and sandy soil with poor water retention or poorly drained soils that become waterlogged after heavy rain. Pumpkins are, however, rather hardy, and even if many leaves and portions of the vine are removed or damaged, the plant can very quickly re-grow secondary vines to replace what was removed. Pumpkins produce both a male and female flower; they must be fertilized, usually by bees. Pumpkins have historically been pollinated by the native squash bee Peponapis pruinosa, but this bee has declined, probably at least in part to pesticide (imidacloprid) sensitivity. Ground-based bees such as squash bees and the eastern bumblebee are better suited to handle the larger pollen particles that pumpkins create, but today most commercial plantings are pollinated by hives of honeybees, which also allows the production and sale of honey that the bees produce from the pumpkin pollen. One hive per acre (4,000 m2 per hive, or 5 hives per 2 hectares) is recommended by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. If there are inadequate bees for pollination, gardeners often have to hand pollinate. Inadequately pollinated pumpkins usually start growing but abort before full development. Giant pumpkins Giant pumpkins at a "heaviest pumpkin" competition. "Giant pumpkins" are a large squash (within the group of common squash Cucurbita maxima) that can exceed 2,000 pounds in weight. The variety arose from the large squash of South America through the efforts of botanical societies and enthusiast farmers. Source: Pumpkin Facts for Kids . Kiddle Encyclopedia. Get more facts like this on the Snackster Sam app.
Snackster Sam provides fun and educational content about food that grows. Join the adventure. Get it where you get apps! The parsnip (Pastinaca sativa) is a root vegetable. The parsnip is native to Eurasia; it has been used as a vegetable since antiquity. It was cultivated by the Romans. It was used as a sweetener before the arrival in Europe of cane sugar. The plant is closely related to carrot and parsley; all belong to the family Apiaceae. Its long, tuberous root has cream-colored skin and flesh. Left in the ground to mature, it becomes sweeter in flavor after winter frosts. Parsnip Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia. Hey, Snacksters! Have you tried parsnip? Don't forget to explore the Snackster Sam app for more fun! Get more facts like this on the Snackster Sam app. Snackster Sam provides fun and educational content about food that grows. Join the adventure. Get it where you get apps!
Radishes come in a variety of shapes from round or long. They also come in different colors, including white, brown, black, red, and even one that looks like a watermelon inside! No wonder it's called a Watermelon Radish. HOW IT GROWS Radishes grow in the ground and can sprout in 3 days! Radishes are the perfect vegetable to grow in a pot because it grows so quickly. DID YOU KNOW
HOW TO EAT IT Radishes are most often eaten raw and added to salads. Some radishes become sweeter and lose its spicy taste when cooked, like watermelon radishes. Did you know there were so many different types of radishes? Get more facts like this on the Snackster Sam app.
Snackster Sam provides fun and educational content about food that grows. Join the adventure. Get it where you get apps! Bell peppers come in red, yellow, orange, green and even white, purple, and brown colors. But did you know all bell peppers start green? HOW IT GROWS Bell peppers grow on plants that grow about knee-height high. Farmers fertilize (nourish) the land up to three years before planting bell peppers on it. Peppers are handpicked and finish ripening on their way to the grocery store. While peppers grow best in warm climates, a touch of cold weather sweetens it. Watch to learn more about How it Grows! DID YOU KNOW
HOW TO EAT IT Bell peppers are delicious sliced and eaten raw. You can sautée peppers and add to stirfries, pasta, and more. Bell peppers are also cut up and added to salsas and sauces. Try cutting out the top and stuffing the pepper with rice and other vegetables, and baking it. Or try our Colorful Bell Pepper Nachos recipe.  Get more facts like this on the Snackster Sam app.
Snackster Sam provides fun and educational content about food that grows. Join the adventure. Get it where you get apps! These Colorful Bell Pepper Nachos are an easy, veggie-packed meal that the whole family can enjoy! Simply set out all your cut peppers and topping options and let your kids have at it. This recipe is extremely customizable and a quick option in a pinch.  Colorful Bell Pepper NachosServes: 2 people Ingredients: 3-4 bell peppers of any color 10oz of cooked shredded or ground meat (sub for beans if vegetarian) 1/2 cup of shredded mexican-style cheese 1 tomato, diced 1/2 cup of shredded lettuce 2 green onions, sliced Other optional toppings: salsa, guacamole, pickled jalapenos, plain greek yogurt or sour cream, etc. Recipe:
Tips:
Don't forget to make it with your little ones so they are more interested to try it. Learn more about bell peppers here. This recipe was developed by Certified Health Coach, Anne Homkes for Snackster Sam. Get more of her recipes and follow her on Instagram, @annehomkes. Download the Free AppGet more facts like this on the Snackster Sam app.
Snackster Sam provides fun and educational content about food that grows. Join the adventure. Get it where you get apps! What do you call two fruits that like to joke? A PEAR of jokesters! Get it? Besides making a good pun, pears are a delicious fruit that dates back to 1,000 BC! That's a long time ago! Even though it is native to Europe and Africa, the United States is now the largest producer of pears. HOW IT GROWS Pears grow on trees. The trees can live to 50-75 years old! The trees grow more than beautiful pears, they grow white (and sometimes pink) blossoms. The wood is also used to make musical instruments, furniture, and more! DID YOU KNOW
HOW TO EAT IT Pears can be enjoyed raw, canned, and baked! Get more facts like this on the Snackster Sam app.
Snackster Sam provides fun and educational content about food that grows. Join the adventure. Get it where you get apps! |
