Fruit Exploration and Reflection Activities

 I tried two new fruits, a persimmon and an Asian pear. The persimmon was on November 1st, and the Asian pear was on November 6th. The persimmon was something I picked up outside of our classroom in the bins. I tried multiple slices, but unfortunately I couldn't get myself to like it. It was an odd sweet taste, but it also tasted watery, which I didn't like. I did like how it looked though, it definitely looked very appetizing! The Asian pear was almost like an apple to me. It was also sweet, but it didn't have much flavor. I liked it better than the persimmon, but I still prefer fruits like strawberries, grapes, and blueberries!

I attended the Fall Fest on November 21st and had a blast! My sister and I walked around to all of the different stands, learning about opportunities to be more involved in Plant Science at UF and how bacteria interacts with plants. We squeezed our own mandarin juice, dug up some sweet potatoes (or at least attempted to), and brought home a mixed greens and a spinach plant. At one of the stands, we participated in horticultural therapy, creating mandalas out of dried flowers and different beans. We went around to students who had been growing foods in the Teaching Garden all semester, and they informed us of their processes and shared their products with us! I also learned that sweet potatoes can be purple. Overall, it was a fun experience that I hope will be around next fall!  

 These pictures are of our trip to the Saint Augustine Amphitheatre Farmer's Market on November 9th. There were two main displays that sold produce. The first two images were the first stand. They advertised their fruits by placing them close to the walkway, and spread out and priced by basket. The second, shown in the second two images, was different because everything was close together under a tent, and they were not priced by basket. The second stand also had workers going around to answer questions, as a lot of their produce was more unheard of fruits and vegetables. We bought a Ruby Red orange from the first stand, and it was delicious!