Berries, Nuts and Seeds mals to eat them, and So let’s explore some to oak trees as the young eventually spread the of the local flora that This time of year we hickory trees likes shade, start to see plants with seeds to a suitable grow- you may encounter. Win- while the older trees prefer ing environment. terberry is coming into ripening berries, nuts, and sunny areas. In the fall, the seeds Seeds are made up of color now. They are the dark hickory shells split three basic parts. The size of a pea and bright that open and are a pink-red. the nuts great The ber- fall out. ries will They are food source for animals. There are even some that stay on often eaten by grosbeaks, the plants into the win- turkeys, woodpeckers, people can eat, but not all. Exploring the “fruits” of seed coat is the outer ter, providing a food squirrels, deer, woodchucks, covering that helps pro- source for birds, deer, the year can bring great raccoons, and people. fun. tect the seed. It may be mice, and bears. Jewelweed belongs to surrounded with a fleshy Sumac plants are of- Fruits may be juicy, the Touch-me-not family. tough, or have hard shells. substance. One example is ten seen growing along They like to grow in wet, The outer an apple, with seeds in the open hillsides, trail edg- shady places, often near center of the fruit. There es, grassland, and along poison ivy. covering acts as is a food store that is roadsides. As the ber- As the used by the embryo inside ries rip- seeds ripen, protection for the seed, keeping it the seed. The embryo is en, they the pods the young plant that is go from safe from heat, cold, too burst open when touched. much or too little mois- waiting for all of the right a fuzzy green cluster to The juice from the stem conditions to germinate. a dark red. ture. Bright fruit colors can be rubbed on a poison may help attract the ani- Hickory trees can be ivy rash to help healing. found in our forests. Books about Berries, Nuts and Seeds Sometimes they are next Here are some books to More Blueberries! by Susan One Bean by Anne Rockwell Eco Explorers learn more about what ani- Preschool-Kindergarten Musgrave Seeds! Seeds! Seeds! by mals leave behind: Glenna’s Seeds by Nancy Nancy Wallace Mobile Outreach 4524 East 49th Street A Fruit is a Suitcase for Edwards From Seed to Plant by Gail Cuyahoga Heights, OH Seeds by Jean Richards In the Garden by Elizabeth Gibbons (216) 341-1707 Let’s Go Nuts!: Seeds We Spurr The Little Mouse, the Red Ecoexplorers@ Eat by April Pulley Sayre Flip, Float, Fly: Seeds on Ripe Strawberry, and the clevelandmetroparks.com How Does a Seed Grow? by the Move by JoAnn Macken Big Hungry Bear by Don Sue Kim Wood Berries, Nuts and Seeds Activities and Crafts Fingerpainting Berries Seeds We Eat Investigate common fruits and vegetables Talk about what kind of berries the children like to eat. You’ll that we eat to see where the seeds are probably get a list including strawberries, raspberries, grapes, and if we eat them. Some seeds are more blueberries, etc. Discuss where different berries can grow - obvious than others. How many foods do we on the ground, on the vine, on a bush and which grow where. eat that have seeds? Pull out nuts and Ask the children if they can eat all types of berries they see/ seeds that they know are seeds, then start find. Explain that only berries that we buy at the grocery looking at fruits and vegetables to decide store or specifically grow in our garden can be eaten. The oth- which ones have seeds that we eat. Of course you can taste er berries are for the animals to eat. Talk about which animals them too! Here is a list to start: like to eat berries - birds, bears, coyotes, squirrels, deer, Corn Pumpkin Seeds mice, box turtles, etc. Sunflower Seeds Walnuts Get out some finger paints and let them make some berry pro- Almonds Pecans jects. See below for some ideas... Peanuts Cashews Sugar Snap Peas Cucumbers Green Beans Tomatoes Grapes Kiwi Bananas Berries Zucchini After checking all of these out, talk about the fruits and veg- etables that have seeds that we do not eat (fruits with pits, apples, oranges, peppers, etc). Ask why some are ok to eat while others are not. Activities for Further Learning and Fun Seed Songs and Poems Berries, Nuts and Seed Snacks Yogurt Berry Fruit Pizzas Using mini pancakes and vanilla yogurt and an assortment of seasonal berries, let the children make their own berry pizzas. Berry Popsicles Fill popsicle containers with cut up strawberries, raspber- ries and blueberries. Pour apple juice, lemonade, white grape juice or another juice of choice into the containers, leaving a little room at the top for the lid. Freeze until solid and Enjoy! Yogurt Frozen Berries Line a large baking sheet with wax paper. Rinse, drain and pat dry berries then dip each berry into the yogurt to coat it using a toothpick. Transfer to wax paper and freeze once all berries have been thoroughly coated (a second toothpick is useful in helping to transfer berries from stick to wax paper). Once frozen, remove from wax paper and seal in contain- er in freezer or consume on the spot. Roasted Pumpkin Seeds Boil the pumpkin seeds in water for 5 minutes. Drain well. Sprinkle with salt or seasoned salt. Place a thin layer on a cookie sheet. Bake at 250 degrees. Stir after 30 minutes. Bake 1/2-1 hour more or until crunchy. .