Fruit Facts

Fruits are important. Not only are they delicious, but they help us humans get many of the nutrients and vitamins we need to enjoy a balanced diet. But we’re not the only ones who benefit from fruit. There are thousands of insects and animals that are able to thrive mainly, if not entirely, on diets of different fruits. They’re key to our world as it exists today, so take the time to enjoy fruit a bit more by reading up on these fun facts:

• There are over 1,000 different kinds of apples and none of them are native to America. Actually, they’re said to have originated from Kazakhstan.
• Strawberries are the only fruit in the world that grow seeds on the outside and they’re related to the rose family.
• Many years ago, explorers used hollowed out watermelons to carry water onboard their ships.
• Pear trees can grow up to a whopping 60 feet tall and can be over 300 years old.
• There are over 100 different kinds of bananas and not all of them are yellow. Some varieties are actually red.
• Olives are actually fruits and their trees can be old – really old – standing tall for more than 1,500 years.
• Why can you bob for apples? Because they’re made of 25% water, allowing them to float.
• Sure, they’re pretty sour, but believe it or not, lemons contain more sugar than strawberries.
• Pears ripen from the inside out – and are the only fruit to do so.
• Eggplants are actually a fruit (who knew).
• You can grow a pineapple by twisting the crown off a store-bought pineapple, allowing it to air dry for a few days, and then planting it.
• If you plant a single orange seed, you’ll probably get more than one plant from it.
• Mangos are known as “the King of Fruit” throughout most of the world.
• People were pretty serious about playing catch in ancient Greece. If a boy tossed an apple at a girl it was seen as a marriage proposal. If she caught it, she accepted.
• Honey Dew melons are also known as “Temptation Melons.”
• Most raspberries are red, but some are actually white, yellow, or black.
• Kiwi fruits are actually berries and grow like grapes on vines that can be up to 6 feet tall.
• Grapes don’t always grow in perfect bunches like the ones at the grocery store. They can actually group together in clusters that range from 6 to 300 grapes.
• Ever think a cantaloupe looked like a rock? Well, you’re not alone. In several English speaking countries, cantaloupes are known as “rock melons.”
• Bananas don’t grow on trees. They grow on plants that are as big as trees (they’re usually over 30 feet tall).