Harvest of the Month November: Cabbage

Nutrition News—

Think you can only find nutritious veggies fresh in warm months? Think again, because this hardy, cool weather crop is packed with vitamins and minerals like vitamin K, vitamin C, vitamin B6, manganese, and iron.

Don’t limit yourself to green cabbage, purple cabbage contains even more vitamin C.

Did you know?

Cabbage is a cole crop, meaning it is a member of the mustard family along

with broccoli and kale, among others.

Plant Parts We Eat

Background Knowledge:

There are parts of vegetables and fruits that we eat but we do not eat the same part of every vegetable. We can eat the roots, stems, leaves, and seeds of different types of vegetables. For example, when we eat a carrot we are eating the root. When we eat celery we are eating the stem. Eating peas or wheat means we are eating the seeds. Cabbage is the leaf part of the plant that we eat. Therefore, this is why we eat the top, bottom, or middle of different types of vegetables.

Plant Part Definitions:

Roots – usually the underground part of a plant that absorbs wa-ter and nutrients and can also store food; means of anchorage and support for plants

Stems – the main trunk of a plant that supports and carries water and nutrients to the rest of the plant

Leaves – the outgrowth from the stems whose main function is to produce food for the plant through photosynthesis

Flowers – the parts of the plant that hold the reproductive organs

Fruits – the fleshy part of the plant that holds the seeds

Seeds - the fertilized ripened ovule of a flowering plant containing an embryo and capable normally of germination to produce a new plant.

Edible Plant Parts

Roots – carrot, radish, beet, turnip, parsnip, sweet potato

Stems – celery, asparagus, potato (fleshy underground stem called a tuber), rhubarb, cinnamon

Standards of Learning:

Science: 1.4, 4.2

Objectives:

Students will be able to—

Identify the parts of a plant.

Sort plants by the part we eat.

Materials:

Tops and Bottoms by Janet Stevens Fresh or artificial vegetables (list at

end of lesson plan) 8 ½ X 11 signs (TOPS, BOTTOMS,

MIDDLES) 8 ½ X 11 signs (ROOT, STEM, LEAF,

FLOWER, FRUIT, SEED)

Leaves – lettuce, cabbage, spinach, onion (bulb), garlic (bulb), parsley, dill, rosemary, thyme, sage, collards,

brussel sprouts

Fruit – tomato, cucumber, squash, apple, peppers, eggplant, pears, avocado, peach, green beans

Flowers – broccoli, cauliflower, artichoke, capers

Seeds – corn, peas, peanuts, black-eyed peas, kidney beans, pinto beans, black beans

Procedure:

1. Read the book Tops and Bottoms by Janet Stevens.

2. Have students categorize vegetables that were in the story into groups (TOPS, BOTTOMS, MIDDLES).

3. Introduce other vegetables (not in the story) and sort them into the three groups.

4. Review the six basic parts of a plant and their functions .

Roots – absorb water and nutrients; anchor the plant in the soil; store food

Stems – transport water and nutrients to the plant and provide support

Leaves – make food for the plant through photosynthesis; store food

Flowers – attract pollinators to the plant

Fruits – holds and protects the seeds

Seeds – germinate and grow a new plant

5. Group the same vegetables used in steps 2 & 3 into the six basic plant parts.

Suggested Vegetables

Roots – carrot, turnip, radish, beet, sweet potato, parsnip

Stems – Irish potato, asparagus, celery

Leaves – lettuce, cabbage, spinach, collards, onion, scallions, garlic

Flowers – cauliflower, broccoli, artichoke

Fruits – tomato, cucumber, squash, pepper, beans in a pod

Seeds – corn, peanuts, peas (shelled), beans (shelled), oats, wheat, rice, barley, rye

Extension:

Have a salad party. Include all parts of the plant in individual serving bowls. Try to include at least two from each category. Label each bowl with the name of the vegetable and the plant part (example: carrot – root, lettuce – leaf). Encourage students to choose at least one vegetable from each category for their salad. Provide students with a variety of dressings and toppings.

Harvest of the Month December: Spinach

Nutrition News—

Spinach leaves are packed with nutrients such as folate, potassium, iron, fiber, vitamin A, vitamin C, and vitamin K.

In addition to giving your next salad a nutrition boost by adding spinach to your lettuce mix, you can also add spinach to your favorite smoothie for an icy green treat!

Did you know?

Spinach is a quick growing, cool season vegetable,

making it a great choice for school gardens.

Graphing My Plate

Background Knowledge:

The five dietary food groups of the My Plate guide are the building blocks of a healthy diet. Everything you eat and drink — the food and beverage choices we make day to day and over our lifetime — matters. By eating a variety of foods from each food group, we give our bodies what they need to be and stay healthy.

Procedure:

1. Have students collect food labels and empty food packages (set a minimum number to be collected) at home for a given period of time (week or two) and then have them bring labels and packages to school.

2. Divide students into groups of 3 or 4 to represent a “family.”

3. Give each group a set of labels in no particular order.

4. Have each group sort their labels into the 5 food groups using the main ingredient in each item. You may want to have a 6th “food group” for miscellaneous items such as soft drinks and “junk food.”

5. Using graph paper, have students create a bar graph, showing the foods eaten by their “family”. Each square will equal one label for each category. Color the squares to coordinate with the colors of My Plate. Orange = grains; green = vegetables; red = fruits; blue = dairy; purple = protein; black = miscellaneous.

6. Students will write a summary about the graph and the food consumed by their family group.

7. Have students cut their graphs apart in strips according to the food group and glue them onto a larger bar graph on the bulletin board.

Standards of Learning:

Health K.1, 1.2, 2.2

Objectives:

Students will be able to—

Understand the basics of the My Plate food guide.

Draw a bar graph and develop a con-clusion regarding his/her family’s diet.

Materials:

My Plate poster(s), ChooseMyPlate.gov Food labels and empty food packages Graph paper Crayons or markers Construction paper or card stock Glue sticks Scissors

Harvest of the Month January: Sweet Potatoes

Nutrition News—

Sweet potatoes are packed with health benefits such vitamin A and vitamin C, as well as potassium, fiber, and beta carotene, making them nutritional all-stars.

They are also fat-free and cholesterol-free.

Give your meal a nutritional boost by slicing and roasting sweet potatoes in place of your regular fries.

Did you know?

George Washington Carver, best known for his work with peanuts, also developed over

100 products using sweet potatoes.

Tops and Bottoms

Background Knowledge:

There are parts of vegetables and fruits that we eat but we do not eat the same part of every vegetable. We can eat the roots, stems, leaves, and seeds of different types of vegetables. For example, when we eat a carrot we are eating the root. When we eat celery we are eating the stem. Eating peas or wheat means we are eating the seeds. Lettuce is the leaf part of the plant that we eat. Therefore, this is why we eat the top, bottom, or middle of different types of vegetables.

Review edible plant parts with students. Show fresh, artificial or illustrations.

Roots – carrot, radish, beet, turnip, parsnip, sweet potato

Stems – celery, asparagus, potato (fleshy underground stem called a tuber), rhubarb, cinnamon

Leaves – lettuce, cabbage, spinach, onion (bulb), garlic (bulb), parsley, dill, rosemary, thyme, sage, collards, brussels sprouts

Fruit – tomato, cucumber, squash, apple, peppers, eggplant, pears, avocado, peach, green beans

Flowers – broccoli, cauliflower, artichoke, capers

Seeds – corn, peas, peanuts, black-eyed peas, kidney beans, pinto beans, black beans

Procedure:

1. Read the book Tops and Bottoms by Janet Stevens. Sort the vegetables mentioned in the book into 2 columns – tops and bottoms.

2. Give each student a paper plate.

Standards of Learning:

Science: 1.4

Objectives:

Students will be able to—

Identify and sort plants by whether the edible part is located above or below ground.

Materials:

Tops and Bottoms by Janet Stevens 2 paper plates per student Hole punch Brads Scissors Crayons/markers

3. Have them fold it in half and open. Then draw a line along the crease. On the top half of the plate have them draw pictures of the plants that we eat the tops of. On the bottom half of the plate have them draw pictures of the plants that we eat the bottoms of.

4. Fold the second paper plate in half as well. Label the top half “Tops” and the bottom half “Bottoms.” Cut along the crease.

5. Attach to the first plate using brads.

6. Now have students take turns rotating the top or bottom piece of the plate to reveal the corresponding vegetables below.