9781422287880

Chapter 1

Where Does Fruit Come From?

W hen you grab an apple before school, that apple has a long history. It has likely traveled a long way to get to you and been passed through many people’s hands. Once you eat it, the apple’s story isn’t over yet either. Your digestive system kicks in, turning that apple into fuel that will keep your body going. Every fruit (and every other food, for that matter) has a story. If you follow that story back to its beginning, you may find out some surprising things about that piece of fruit you’re about to bite into. FARMS All fruit starts out on a farm. These days, farms tend to specialize in one or two crops. One farm might just grow apples. Another grows oranges. A third grows strawberries. Fruit farms tend to be very large, growing rows and rows of fruit. You can find fruit farms all over the world. Some of the fruit people eat in North