Amerigo A. Anastasia School
Together We Can, Juntos Nós Podemos, Juntos Podemos
- Amerigo A Anastasia School
- Fresh Fruit and Veggie Program
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The Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program (FFVP) provides children in participating elementary schools with a variety of free fresh fruits and vegetables. The purpose of the program is to expand and increase the variety and amount of fruits and vegetables children experience and consume.FFVP Rules in New Jersey Schools!
Listed below are some tips from participants to help you in your continuing efforts to Promote and Provide Fruits & Vegetables
40 Tips for an Active FamilyCut out each tip below. Add some of your own tips. Place in a bag/jar. Have your children draw from the jar each night to help plan the family’s activity for the next night!
Go for a family walk or bike ride
Shoot hoops
Play catch
Try roller blading
Try a new park in your area
Sign up for a run/walk promoting health
Plan active vacations
Plant a garden
Check out the library for books on family fitness and activities for kids
Take a picnic
Take the family bowling
Head to the zoo, park, or putt‐putt course
Create an obstacle course in your yard or living room
Let your child be your personal trainer
Create some healthy snack ideas
Board Game Night!
Write a script, dress up and act out a play
No screen time night!
Make crafts to give as gifts
Go outside! Hopscotch, sidewalk chalk, hide‐n‐seek, tag, etc.
Get out the blocks, erector sets and fiddlesticks to build
Play Go‐Fish
Crank up the music and dance
Cook dinner together as a family. Find tasks for even the little ones
Read to your children, or let them read to you
Go to the local pool for the day
Go to the driving range or batting cages
Find out about your local farmer’s market – even during the winter
Get crazy and fun during household chores
Go on a nature walk and discover new things
Take the family out for a healthy snack
Try Yogurt-Fruit Parfaits!
Arrange a play date with friends or neighbors
Organize a neighborhood game of kickball
Clean out your closets and donate unwanted items
Make puppets from construction paper or old socks
Take a class at a local art supply store or the library
Play soccer or football
Get involved in local community family activities
Make up a card game
Enroll in a recreational sport
☺ FUN FACTS! ☺
Butternut Squash
Did you know…
☺ Did you know butternut squash is a winter squash?
(Winter squash is harvested at a mature age which makes its skin hard. Winter squash is always served cooked.)
☺ Did you know butternut squash has a smooth cream-beige colored shell?
☺ Did you know butternut squash is medium in size with a pear shape?
☺ Did you know butternut squash is orange on the inside?
☺ Did you know butternut squash grows on a vine?
☺ Did you know butternut squash has small seeds on the inside?
(Seeds can be roasted or toasted and eaten as a snack.)
☺ Did you know butternut squash originated from Mexico?
☺ Did you know butternut squash can be baked, roasted, grilled, boiled
and pureed or mashed into soups, casseroles, breads or muffins?
☺ Did you know the skin of butternut squash softens when roasted orbaked and is edible?
☺ Did you know butternut squash can be prepared like mashed potatoes and is delicious?
☺ Did you know butternut squash should not be refrigerated until it is cut?
☺ Did you know butternut squash is a good source of vitamin C, fiber and potassium?
☺ Did you know butternut squash is an excellent source of vitamin A?
☺ Check out the attached recipe for “Roasted Butternut Squash”!
Remember …
Eat more fruits and vegetables everyday!
☺ FUN FACTS! ☺
Cranberry
Did you know…
☺ Did you know that early settlers referred to the tiny red berry as a “craneberry” because the flower and its stem resembled the neck, head and bill of a crane? (As years went by, the “e” was dropped.)
☺ Did you know cranberries grow on vines in boggy or swampy areas?
☺ Did you know there are four major varieties of cranberries:
American, European, Mountain and Highbush?
(American is bright red, is the most common variety and is used for juice or sold as fresh;
European is primarily used for ornamental purposes and is smaller than the American;
Mountain is a ¼ to ½ inch in diameter, bright to dark red and is occasionally sold in markets;
Highbush is mostly used for jelly, jams and sauces.)
☺ Did you know that fresh cranberries are too tart to eat raw?
☺ Did you know that most cranberries are picked by machines?
(However, machines damage the berry. Machine harvested berries are used for juice, jellies, etc…)
☺ Did you know fresh whole berries are hand-picked?
(Machine picking damages the berry.)
☺ Did you know Native Americans brewed cranberry mixtures and placed them on arrow wounds to draw poison?
☺ Did you know Native Americans pounded cranberries into a paste and mixed it with dried meat to preserve and extend the life of the meat?
☺ Did you know good, ripe cranberries will bounce? (Their nickname is “bounceberries”.)
☺ Did you know fresh cranberries can last up to 2 months in the refrigerator?
☺ Did you know that more than one-third of cranberries grown in the U.S. are made into cranberry juice?
☺ Did you know that dried cranberries are often called “Craisins”?
☺ Did you know that dried cranberries may last up to 12 months if stored in a cool, dry place?
☺ Did you know that dried cranberries are a quick, healthy snack?
☺ Did you know cranberries are a good source of vitamin C and fiber?
☺ Did you know cranberry sauce is a traditional part of American and Canadian Thanksgiving meals and also European winter festivals?
Remember … Eat more fruits and vegetables everyday!
☺ FUN FACTS! ☺
Hubbard Squash
Did you know…
☺ Did you know hubbard squash comes in several varieties?
(Green, Golden, Blue and Baby Blue are the various colors of its shell.)
☺ Did you know hubbard squash ranges in size from 5 to 50 pounds?
☺ Did you know hubbard squash have a hard, thick, bumpy shell?
☺ Did you know the flesh of the hubbard squash, or inside part that is eaten, is orange?
☺ Did you know the flesh of hubbard squash is sweet when cooked?
☺ Did you know hubbard squash are a winter squash?
(Winter squash is harvested at a mature age which makes its skin hard and not edible. Winter squash is always served cooked.)
☺ Did you know hubbard squash has a tear-drop shape?
☺ Did you know hubbard squash is not very pretty?
☺ Did you know hubbard squash is an excellent source of
vitamin A? (A ½ cup contains over 100% of the recommended daily value.)
☺ Did you know uncut hubbard squash can be stored up to 3 months or longer in a cool, dry place?
☺ Did you know uncut hubbard squash should not be refrigerated?
☺ Did you know hubbard squash is very difficult to cut?
(The problem is the shell is hard, and it is difficult to keep the squash from rolling. Some people use a kitchen saw to cut it.)
☺ Did you know hubbard squash is often used as a replacement in recipes that call for pumpkin?
☺ Did you know hubbard squash can be baked, mashed, added to soups or mixed with other vegetables in a casserole?
☺ Did you know hubbard squash makes a great pie?
(It tastes similar to pumpkin pie, but it’s sweeter and requires less sugar.)
Remember …
Eat more fruits and vegetables everyday!
☺ FUN FACTS! ☺
Pears
Did you know…
J Did you know pears are a relative of the apple?
(Pears can be substituted for apples in most recipes.)
J Did you know pears are an ancient fruit that has been cultivated
for more than four thousand years?
J Did you know pears grow on trees?
J Did you know pears are picked before they are ripe?
J Did you know you can ripen pears by placing them in a paper bagat room temperature?
J Did you know most pears have a bell shape?
J Did you know pears are yellow-green, green, brown and red?
J Did you know pears have a white to pale yellow flesh?
J Did you know pears have a gritty texture caused by cells in the
flesh called stone cells?
(In today’s pears most of the grittiness no longer exists.)
J Did you know ripe pears have a fragrant smell?
J Did you know pears are sweet?
J Did you know there’s no need to peel a pear?
(Their tender skin is edible and a great source of fiber!)
J Did you know there are over four thousand varieties of pears?
J Did you know the common pears seen in the supermarket are
Anjou, Bartlett, Bosc, Comice, Forelle and Seckel?
J Did you know seckel pears are tiny and are also called “sugar pears”?
J Did you know pears are a snack filled with energy?
J Did you know pears are an excellent source of potassium?
(Potassium is needed to maintain heartbeat, muscle contraction, nerve transmission
and metabolism.)
J Did you know pears are also a source of vitamin C?
Remember … Eat more fruits and vegetables everyday!
☺ FUN FACTS! ☺
Pomegranates
Did you know…
☺ Did you know pomegranates contain hundreds of seeds?
☺ Did you know the name pomegranate is derived from the Latin
words meaning “apple of numerous seeds”?
☺ Did you know pomegranates are also called “Chinese Apples”?
☺ Did you know in ancient times the juice of the pomegranate was
used as a dye and also as a medicine?
☺ Did you know years ago nomads took pomegranates with them
into the desert because they were a thirst quencher and they
lasted for months without drying out?
☺ Did you know pomegranates grow on small trees 12-16 feet tall?
☺ Did you know pomegranates are available from September thruDecember?
☺ Did you know pomegranates are the size of a large orange?
☺ Did you know pomegranates have a leathery, thick, smooth,
reddish-pink skin?
☺ Did you know the inside of a pomegranate consists of clusters of seeds encased in bright cranberry-red pulp that are surrounded by bitter, white membranes ?
☺ Did you know the red pulp has a sweet and tart taste?
☺ Did you know you can eat the red pulp and the seeds of thepomegranate?
(Some people eat the seed and pulp while others eat just the pulp and spit out the seeds.)
☺ Did you know the pomegranate seeds are crunchy?
☺ Did you know pomegranates are very, very juicy?
☺ Did you know pomegranate juice can stain your clothes?
☺ Did you know pomegranate seeds make a beautiful garnish for fruit salads?
☺ Did you know grenadine is made from pomegranate juice?
(Grenadine is used as a sauce for cooked fruit and is added to beverages.)
☺ Did you know pomegranate juice is a healthy beverage?
(Be careful not to drink too much as it is very high in sugar and calories!)
☺ Did you know pomegranate juice is high in antioxidants which
are believed to help prevent heart problems?
Remember … Eat more fruits and vegetables everyday!
☺ FUN FACTS! ☺
Pumpkins
Did you know…
J Did you know pumpkins are a squash?
J Did you know it is believed pumpkins originated in North America?
J Did you know pumpkins were used by the Indians and early
colonists as a primary food in their diet?
J Did you know the origin of pumpkin pie is thought to have
occurred when the early settlers sliced off the top of pumpkins,
removed the seeds and added milk, honey and spices and then
baked it in hot ashes?
J Did you know years ago, people believed eating pumpkins werea
remedy to remove freckles and cure snake bites?
J Did you know most pumpkins are round in shape?
J Did you know pumpkins have a prickly and rigid stem?
J Did you know the shell of the pumpkin is smooth with ribs?
J Did you know most pumpkins weigh 9-18 pounds?
(Although, some can weigh over 75 pounds.)
J Did you know most pumpkins are orange but some are green,
white, red or gray?
J Did you know pumpkins are grown in all the continents except
Antartica?
J Did you know in 1981 Howard Dill grew a pumpkin weighing 500
pounds and patented his seeds and sold them around the world?
(Growing large pumpkins is aular festivity and weights reach over 1,000 pounds.)
J Did you know fresh pumpkins can be boiled, baked, steamed or
roasted?
J Did you know pumpkins make great pies and soup?
J Did you know roasted pumpkin seeds make a great snack?
J Did you know pumpkins are an excellent source of vitamin A?
(A ¾ cup contains 130% of the recommended daily value for vitamin A.)
J Did you know pumpkins are commonly carved into decorative
lanterns called jack-o-lanterns to celebrate Halloween?
Remember … Eat more fruits and vegetables everyday!