Can you name all five food groups? Students at Rowell elementary can!

We all know that kids truly enjoy something if they are willing to spend their recess doing it. 

Recently, DeAnna Molinar, UC CalFresh Program Coordinator, made a visit to Sunset elementary. She took a seat outside to organize her things in between classes and to her astonishment students gathered around her and asked to learn more about MyPlate...DURING RECESS!

Don't believe us? Check it out:

Students enjoy the challenge of matching foods up with their MyPlate food group

Using teamwork, students were able to match foods up!

UC CalFresh provides a "2-bite" taste of a new food for each student to try every month. This month's tasting is: Fuji apples and Granny Smith apples.

There are so many varieties out there for students to try. Apples cost about $0.55 cents each, or $1.69/lb and can be found at all grocery stores.

It's apple tasting time!

If you haven't already received it, your cutting board is on the way! Your apple kit will include two kinds of apples, and two plastic knives (just in case one breaks.) Your kit will have your name on it, and should be located in your cafeteria refrigerator. It'll look like this:

Tasting Time Kit

Don't miss out on the opportunity to discuss fractions, and guess how many seeds each apple has! This is also a great opportunity to discuss edible plant growth. Your UC CalFresh curriculum provides information on how our food grows. You can also watch a video on our website.

Don't forget to discuss apple seeds

Ok, let's get started preparing our apples! Remember, apples brown pretty quickly after slicing. Plan to serve apples immediately after slicing them into pieces.

Apple preparation steps:

***After washing, apple slicing will take about 5-10 minutes.

1) Wash cutting board with dish soap and water. Rinse clean.

2) Rinse apples off under clean, running water. (Apples can be rinsed ahead of time, but try to use them within a few days of rinsing)

For best results, rinse in cool water

3) Grab a few paper towels, as slicing apples can get a little juicy!

4) Start by slicing the apple into fourths, around the core.

Slicing apples: one side at a time

Slice apples into four large pieces

5) Next, slice those fourths in half, or into thirds---like so:

Slice 4ths down into 3rds

6) Slice those thirds in half.

Chop, chop, chop!

7) One apple yields about 16 bite-sized pieces. Three apples yield about 48 pieces.

One apple yield

3 apples yield about 48 pieces

Enjoy your tasting time! Let us know which variety students like the most!