Week 3

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Week 3 Friday 6th February 2009 Mystery Fruit
Answers
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Fruit 1 Honeydew Melon Cucumis melo One
serving of honeydew melon provides an excellent
source of Vitamin C and Vitamin A Little is
known about the origin of honeydew. The word
honeydew is derived from the French variety,
White Antibes, which was cultivated in Southern
France and Algeria. One of the earliest records
of melons is found in an Egyptian tomb dating
from 2400 B.C. Melons are part of the gourd
family. How Do Melons Grow? Melons are a
warm-weather annual plant sensitive to cold
temperatures at any stage of growth. In fact,
seeded melons germinate best under hotter
temperatures, up to 95 F, and can tolerate
temperatures in excess of 100 F.
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Fruit 2 Watermelon Watermelon is a
Fruit Watermelon is the fruit of a plant
originally from a vine of southern Africa. The
watermelon fruit, loosely considered a type of
melon (although not in the genus Cucumis), has a
smooth exterior rind and a juicy, sweet, usually
red interior flesh. Watermelon is Also a
Vegetable According to Websters dictionary a
vegetable is anything made or obtained from
plants (2004). Watermelon is a member of the
cucurbitaceae plant family of gourds (classified
as Citrullus Lantus), related to the cucumber,
squash, and pumpkin (Maynard, 2001). It is
planted from seeds or seedlings, harvested, and
then cleared from the field like other
vegetables. Since watermelon is grown as a
vegetable crop using vegetable production
systems, watermelon is considered a vegetable
(Wolford, 2004).
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Fruit 3 Cantaloupe Melon Scientific Name    
Cucumis melo The fruit names cantaloupe and
muskmelon are used somewhat interchangeably. What
is generally called cantaloupe in the west is
really a muskmelon, characterized by a webbed
surface. Cantaloupes have a smooth and lumpy skin
with deep ridges. Cantaloupes were cultivated in
Egypt's Nile valley as early as 2000 B.C. Did
you know that cantaloupes and melons are in the
same gourd family as squashes and cucumbers. Most
melons have similar structure to winter squash
with thick flesh and inner seed-filled
midsection. The difference between melons and
squashes is very simply, it's the way that they
are used. Squashes are considered vegetables,
while cantaloupe melon is fruit, with sweet and
juicy flavour. Cantaloupes have significant
amounts of Vitamins A and C, are a good source of
potassium, and contain small amounts of many
other minerals. The rind is rich in nutrients so
the whole melon may be juiced. In places with a
suitable climate, cantaloupes may be grown all
year long. However, extra care must be taken for
winter varieties as they are particularly
susceptible to disease.
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Will you be able to guess the fruits next
week?The answers will be online from break time
on Friday.