One big bite

BY SARA KEDDY

Kings County Register

CRUNCH!

With a countdown similar to a space shuttle liftoff, Cambridge students made one big noise chomping into fresh Valley Cortland apples March 6.

Taking part in the nationwide “Big Crunch,” the kids did indeed make a significant noise as they gathered in the school gym after a day of stories and questions about apples. “We saw it and thought it sounded like a really cool idea,” says Nova Scotia Fruitgrowers staffer Helen Arenburg.

The fruitgrowers’ education committee picked up the idea from FoodShare, an Ontario program that looks at food, hunger and community building. Arenburg’s son, Colin, is in his last year at Cambridge, so Arenburg combined her work and parental involvement in this campaign.

In classroom visits throughout the day, Arenburg read from a number of children’s stories about apples: trips to orchards, families picking as labourers, the life cycle of an apple tree and its fruit. She brought dot-to-dot and colouring activities, and asked every kid what their favourite apple is. “Red,” said Jonah Smith. “Every single one,” said Alexandria McFadden. “Do I have to eat the skin?” asked Evan Murphy. “Yes - and that’s part of the healthiness of apples,” Arenburg replied. “Eating an apple a day would be a healthy thing to do, and we’re going to have an apple and a healthy day!”

The core facts • There are 756 pounds of apples in a wooden bin • There are 7,000 kinds of apples in the world. Nova Scotia grows about 100 varieties, but only a dozen are considered commercially important. • Each Canadian eats about 86 apples a year - “not very many,” Arenburg says