With my friends, we’re on a mission to uncover some of the stories behind our hero seasonal food – from juicy fruits to veggies with va va voom.

Now, did you know…

Bananas are actually berries
Bunch up for this one – bananas are berries! Yep, even though they don’t look like berries, scientists say they are because they grow from a single flower with just one ovary and have soft skin, fleshy middles, and teeny-tiny seeds inside. That’s right – bananas are smooth operators in the berry world! But guess what isn’t a real berry? Strawberries! Mind officially blown.

Strawberries are seeds-on-the-outside fruits
Strawberries might not be real berries but they’re really delicious!  They’re the rebels of the fruit world. Instead of hiding their seeds deep inside, they wear them like a fashion statement – on the outside!  Talk about fruit with flair!

Apples are related to roses!
Roses are red, apples are sweet – turns out they’re family, which is pretty neat! Apples, strawberries, pears, and even cherries are cousins of roses. They all belong to the same plant family called Rosaceae. That means when you give someone a bouquet of roses, you’re not too far off from giving them a fruit basket!  Apple blossoms even look a little bit like tiny white and pink roses. So the next time you eat an apple, imagine it came from a very fancy floral family. Core blimey!

Tomatoes are fruits
Tomatoes often crash the veggie party, but they’re secretly fruits in disguise! Why? Because they grow from flowers and have seeds inside – that’s the fruity rule.  So technically, your spaghetti sauce is fruit sauce, and ketchup is a kind of smoothie (okay, maybe not). Still, it’s a juicy fact! If that wasn’t confusing enough Botanists say tomatoes are berries too, which are a type of fruit. Tomato-tally amazing, right? So next time you hear someone say, “Fruit or vegetable?” you can grin and say, “Yes!”

A pomegranate can hold a lot of seeds
Pomegranates are like treasure chests – bursting with jewel-like seeds called arils. A single pomegranate can have between 600 and 1,400 seeds – that’s a lot of fruity loot! Each juicy aril is packed with flavour, and counting them is like playing fruity bingo. Ancient myths said pomegranates were symbols of luck and power. With all those seeds packed tightly in the pith Pomegranates aren’t fast food – but they’re fun food!

Cranberries can bounce!
Bouncy, bouncy berries? Believe it! Cranberries have tiny air pockets inside them, so when they’re nice and fresh, they can actually bounce! In fact, that’s how cranberry farmers test if they’re good – by dropping them! If they bounce, they pass the test.  That’s one way to be berry impressive. You could even try it at home (with adult permission, of course!).

Pumpkins are fruits
We think of pumpkins as spooky Halloween vegetables, but scientifically they’re fruits – big, round, orange fruits that grow from flowers and have seeds inside.  Surprise! Pumpkins belong to the gourd family, along with cucumbers and melons. Pumpkins can get huge – some grow bigger than small cars! So, yes, pumpkins are the heavyweights of the fruit world. Whether you’re carving them, eating them, or using them as wheels for a fairy-tale carriage, pumpkins are gourd-geously versatile.

Not all oranges are orange
You might think an orange has to be… well, orange. But that’s not always true! Some oranges stay green or yellow, especially in tropical places where it’s warm all year.  The orange color we expect only develops when the temperature drops a little, causing the fruit to lose its green chlorophyll. But don’t worry – a green orange can still be ripe and juicy. Nature just likes to keep us guessing! So next time you see a green “orange,” don’t judge by the cover – it might be the zest one of all.

Bananas are mildly radioactive
Bananas are glowing with energy – literally! They contain a chemical called potassium which is naturally radioactive. But don’t panic! It’s such a tiny amount that you’d have to eat millions of bananas at once for it to matter. We don’t recommend trying that.. it just means bananas have a naturally cool science fact built in. Some people even use bananas to explain radioactivity because they’re so safe and common. Banana-powered science? Appealing and educational!

Apples float in water
Ever bobbed for apples? There’s a reason that game works – apples float! That’s because they’re made of about 25% air, which makes them less dense than water.  It’s like they have their own little armbands built in. You could call them nature’s fruity life rafts. This is why apples bounce back up when you drop them into a bowl. Science, fun, and snack time all rolled into one!

THE MORRISONS FRUIT & ROOT CREW – EXPLORING OUR SEASONAL FRUIT AND VEG
FIND OUT MORE AT MORRISONS.COM