Book Review - Tall and Tasty Fruit Trees by Meredith Sayles Hughes

This is a fun book with lots of photos, graphics, and even a few recipes.  It explores apples, peaches, mangoes, figs, and citrus fruits, and it would be a great way to add some depth to your children's study of nutrition.

Apples

The book discusses the history of each of these crops, but in a way that keeps the reader engaged.  It covers the use of apples in legends, for example, such as Snow White and Merlin, the magician in King Arthur's court.  Johnny Appleseed is discussed too, as well as practical information like grafting and growing apples, pesticides and their effects on ecosystems, a bit on the different varieties of apples, and how to prepare many apple dishes and apple cider.

Peaches

Did you know peaches originated in China?  Me neither!  They were eventually brought to the Americas by European explorers in the 1500s.  Peaches have since become a staple crop in the southern US.  The book also explains the difference between the cling and freestone varieties, how to grow and harvest them, and a bit about their nutrition.  They're high in vitamin A!

Mango

The mango used to be an exotic fruit, but has become much more mainstream in recent years.  Most mangoes are from India, but they're also grown in Florida and Hawaii.  Mango trees are tropical evergreens that don't lose all their leaves.  It was very interesting to learn about the proper way to slice a mango, which can be tricky because of the wide, flat pit.

Figs

Figs are an interesting fruit that comes in a variety of shapes and sizes.  They're very sweet, but also contain fiber, and wow, a single fig contains as much calcium as half a glass of milk!  Want to try making your own fig pudding?  There's a recipe included in the book.

Citrus

The final part of the book takes a look at citrus trees.  I really enjoyed the pictures of Florida citrus trees, loaded down with fruit, and the huge trucks carrying loads of oranges to market.  Some commercial oranges are sprayed with a chemical called ethylene that makes them uniformly orange by getting rid of their green spots.  Some of the more unusual citrus fruits are covered in the book too, like the pummelo and citron.  Kids will love the recipe for making a secret invisible ink from lemon juice, too!

Tall and Tasty Fruit Trees is a fun look at these 5 types of fruit trees that would appeal to a wide age range.  There's something for everyone in this book, from historical information to recipes, and everyone can learn a little something by spending a few minutes flipping through the pages.