Learning about cranberries through the Pick A Better Snack program ...

What’s small, round, red and associated with Thanksgiving? The cranberry! Students at Cora B. Darling Elementary School in Postville learned many fascinating facts about cranberries in the month of November as part of the Pick A Better Snack™ program. They watched a drone video of the cranberry harvest, learning the bogs must be flooded so the berry can float to the surface making it easier to harvest.

Students saw the four chambers inside the fruit and watched as a cranberry was placed in a tub of water, proving they float. Other fun facts are that cranberry juice is the most popular way cranberries are consumed and they are full of vitamin C, fiber and potassium.

Students were able to try a local cranberry, as Wisconsin produces the majority of the crop in the United States. Three different samples were provided: fresh, dried and juice. “It was fun to watch the students try each sample. The fresh cranberries are fairly tart, so I get a range of facial expressions!” says Becky Rea, Nutrition Educator. “All the students are great taste testers and are excited to see which food I bring each month.”

The Pick A Better Snack™ is a program designed to motivate children and their families to eat fruit and vegetable snacks and be physically active. This program is funded by the Iowa Nutrition Network School Grant Program and is offered to Kindergarten through third grade classrooms at Postville.

Monthly lessons are provided featuring a fresh fruit or vegetable with a taste test. The program is coordinated by Iowa State University Extension and Outreach in Allamakee County. Submitted photos.