Fruit Face-off Day 2!

All right Westminster! Earlier this week we had our second Fruit Face- Off.

Let’s start off with a fruit joke:

Why was the girl staring at the carton of orange juice? 

Because it said, “Concentrate”.

Well, that’s an appropriate fruit joke, because the first familiar fruit competing today is known for its high concentration of vitamin C… the Navel orange!

The original Navel orange was discovered as a mutation growing on a single branch on a sour orange tree in Brazil in 1820. It is called “navel” because of the appearance of a belly button on its bottom.

Seedlings were brought to California in 1873 and in 1878 a Navel orange tree produced its first fruit. In a few short years, the Navel orange grew from one tree to millions of trees. It is one of the most popular varieties in the world, second only to the Valencia orange. California and Florida are large producers of oranges in the US. There are now over 50 different navel orange varieties in the world, and 600 varieties of oranges worldwide.

The average navel orange contains over 150% of your recommended daily Vitamin C, 4 grams of dietary fibre, and 10% folic acid.

Did you know there are typically ten segments inside an orange? Next time you peel one open, count and see!

And competing against the ever popular Navel orange is…. the papaya!

Deliciously sweet with musky undertones and a soft, butter-like consistency, it is no wonder the papaya was thought to be called the "fruit of the angels" by Christopher Columbus. Once considered quite exotic, they can now be found in markets throughout the year.

Papayas are spherical or pear-shaped fruits that can be as long as 20 inches.  Their flesh is a rich orange colour with either yellow or pink hues. When you cut open a papaya, inside the inner cavity are black, round seeds. These seeds are edible but since they are bitter, they are most often scooped out and discarded.

Papayas are very high in Vitamin C and provide 30% of your recommended folate intake.  Folate is found in folic acid, a special vitamin that keeps you healthy by helping make your DNA. DNA tells our cells what it will be and how it will work. Your body makes lots of new cells every day and each cell needs DNA. Folic Acid is also needed to make red blood cells. Your body makes new red blood cells every day. They help you have the energy to do things like run, swim, ride your bike, and play sports.

So what will it be? The good old navel orange …or the new and exciting papaya?

Our students will be sampling these fruit and voting for their favourite.  I wonder which they will choose?