Science Rhymes grew a collection of YOUR SCIENCE POEMS about the fruity facts and leafy love we have for our fruits and vegetables, to celebrate this year’s SCIENCE WEEK (14-22 August). Thank you to everyone who shared their poems. Please enjoy our harvest of tasty poetry!
22 Delectable Fruits and Vegetables by Michayla
(St Peter’s Catholic College, Tuggerah, NSW)I love these fruits and vegetables.
In great abundance they flourish.
Nourishing and delectable,
our Earth they have embellished.Their juice trickles down our chin,
with flavours so divine.
Plump fruit with flesh so thin,
a taste like wine refined.Beneath the earth those vegetables grow,
dug deep into soil and grime.
Nourished in the darkness below,
their roots and soil entwined.Animals feast on these delectables,
spreading their seeds far and wide.
They grow and ripen, as they are able,
to tempt the creatures where they abide.With fruits and vegetables life can flourish,
singing with their sweetest scent.
They help make Earth healthy and nourished,
so creatures and humans are well content.
Do your cabbages and other brassica vegetables sometimes taste a bit … bitter? That will be the flavinoid (flavour chemical) kaempferol!
21 The Properties of a Cabbage by Sophia
As I watch my cabbages grow and grow,
the hungry caterpillars add to their woes.Then they sprout and then they’re picked.
For dinner they’re cooked and taste perfect.Not all the cabbages grown for our dishes
are sweet and mild-tasting, just what one wishes.Their taste’s from the chemical kaempferol
which doesn’t affect our cholesterol.Whether eaten as sauerkraut or boiled with sprouts
some of their vitamins get cooked out.If it’s boiled in water the chemistry changes.
Some soluble vitamins go down the drainage.I’ve detailed their properties, please don’t ignore.
Go eat some cabbages, cooked or raw!
20 Glorious Potato by Alma
(Pennant Hills Public School, Pennant Hills NSW)I push the veg around my plate,
Where do they come from?
Who grew, who ate?
I open my mouth to ask my Mum …But no! Instead, I shall consult a book.
I know where to go,
I know where to look.
My eyes grow wider, aha! Aho!Growing below, deep down in the soil
Storing-up sugars from the Sun,
starchy tubers, hard to spoil.
But where do they really come from?South America’s their native land.
By boat potatoes went
to USA, to Ireland.
A food that’s so convenient.Mashed, fried, roasted, boiled,
Hark! This veg, let it glow,
We’ve all been spoiled
by the glorious potato!
19 Amazing Fruits by Soha
(Mary MacKillop College, Kensington SA)Fruits are so sweet
Make you jump into the air
With lots of coloursFruits make you dream
Eat them with their shiny skin
Unable to resistFruits are the key
To make children more happy
To give them a treatFruits are the way
To sweet fructose cheer
It is happinessFruits are delicate
Leave them out too long
they will turn very sadSo, eat sweet fruit now!
It’s the way to be good
They are the juice of life
18 Fruit and Veggies by Jacqui
(Pennant Hills Public School, Pennant Hills, NSW)Before you begin your day
pick up some fruit and eat away.
Apple, peach and watermelon,
banana, mango and lemon.Lots of veggies taste good too,
as a snack or in a stew.
Carrots, peas, lettuce and more,
veggies are awesome, so never ignore.Apples are juicy with a crunch,
bananas are great, just to munch.
Fruit and veg are so nutritious,
not to mention that they’re delicious.So, before you begin your day,
pick up some fruit and eat away,
When fruit’s your thing and you’re feeling hungry,
just don’t eat the ones with mouldy fungi!
17 Save Our Planet by Braxton
(Brisbane Boys’ College, Toowong QLD)The ocean is moping,
the reef is weeping,
the air is in pain
and we are to blame.We can save them by using
sustainable electricity.
Stop burning coal,
and those fossil fuels.Stop cutting down trees,
be more caring please.
This is how we do it,
how we
Save Our Planet!
16 Tomato Decisions (Limerick) by Gabrielle
(Mary MacKillop College, Kensington SA)Is it a fruit or a vegetable?
It’s true they’re juicy and edible,
have a great tangy taste,
which can make pizza paste.
A collectable fruit for a festival!
15 Watermelon by Corina
(Mary MacKillop College, Kensington SA)A watermelon grows from the ground.
A succulent gourd that’s green and round,
it tastes so juicy, sweet and fruity,
one of Earth’s beauties, the best fruit around!
Grapes are an example of a soft fruit that WANTS to be eaten! That way, its seeds are dispersed far away from the parent vine. So don’t feel sad for the grape eaten by this little ape.
14 Grape on a roll by Emily
(Mary MacKillop College, Kensington SA)Here comes a rolling grape
caught by a hungry baby ape.
Falling freshly off the vine,
this outcome is so NOT divine.
Let’s hope another rolling grape
gets to make a great escape!
Grapes are the perfect shape to pop in your mouth! These ready-wrapped berries contain water, sugars (glucose and fructose) and organic acids (tartaric, malic and a little citric). But berries naturally contain seeds don’t they? So how can we grow seedless grapes?
13 Grapes and Crepes by Lucy
(Mary MacKillop College, Kensington SA)I love to eat grapes,
they’re a wonderful shape.
Some juicy and sweet,
while some are sour.They’re my favourite thing
to eat with crepes.
Perhaps that’s whyI love to eat grapes.
12 Mango Stars by Amelie
(Mary MacKillop College, Kensington SA)Do you know how much I love mangoes?
I love the way mangoes grow on trees.
I love eating mangoes in a breeze.
I also love mangoes when they’re squeezed.Unripe ones can be very hard.
Those mangoes end up in my pickle jar.
But every mango is a star!Have I mentioned how much I love mangoes?
Here are three Haku poems by students from Mary MacKillop College, Kensington SA.
Have you ever heard of a cumquat? It’s orange’s tiny cousin!
10 Cumquats and Wotnots by Diane Finlay
Did you ever
tango with a mango
or mince with a quince
peel a lychee by the sea
or kiss a ‘blue’ berry?Can you really
make rhymes with limes
or mix melons with lemons
blow GIANT raspberries
or get stuck in a strawberry jam?Did you ever
scare a pear
or grapple with an apple
watch peaches on beaches
or discover plums have bums?Can you really
tie cumquats with wotnots
feed grapes to apes
put a pawpaw on a seesaw
or be mean to a nectarine?Did you ever
can-can with a rambutan
see grapefruits in suits
take kiwis to Fiji
or wonder why this rhyme began?
9 Apples by Toni Newell
‘An apple a day keeps the doctor away,’
Is a saying heard over the years,
But is there any truth to this?
Or just a slogan of profiteers?
Apples are beneficial,
Low cholesterol, sodium and fat,
However, eating them in excess,
May damage tooth enamel in fact.
Apples are acidic,
But are rich in vitamin C,
Also contain lots of fibre,
plus pectin, vitamins A and B.
Like anything else, another saying,
‘Everything in moderation,’
Follow this saying and you will see,
The benefits of your gustation.
There are good and not-so-good vegetable smells …
8 Notorious asparagus by Celia Berrell
Notorious asparagus.
A vegetable that’s good for us,
is packed with healthy vitamins
for energy and body cleanse.Yet infamous asparagus,
you sometimes make a fool of us.
Your spear-like shoots, a delicacy
when eaten, give us smelly pee.Asparagusic acid means
our urine smells a queasy green.
But fructans (carbs) within these plants
help do away with stinky farts!
7 The Versatile Potato by Toni Newell
Potato is a favourite,
Can be cooked in many ways,
Roasted, boiled or mashed,
Baked in foil, in stews or braised.
My favourite is the chip,
French fries, wedges, straight,
Potato gems, potato cakes,
All worthy of the dinner plate.Chips that come in packets,
Just to name a few,
Chilli, chicken, salt and vinegar
In different shapes and sizes too.
Such a versatile root vegetable.
20% starch, 80% water,
Contains antioxidants, vitamins B6 and C,
Magnesium, potassium and fiber.Potatoes when they’re harvested,
Are alive, then in a dormant state,
They can be used to reproduce,
Which in itself is great.
Between 80 and 100 days,
A crop should be mature,
Can even be grown in a bucket,
Which is a great idea I’m sure!
6 Pungent Garlic by Sukarma Thareja & Celia Berrell
My cousin is an onion!
I’m allium sativum.My whitish bulb’s
found underground,
between the stem
and roots you’ve found,
growing segment cloves within
containing lots of allicin.Some properties of allicin
even work like penicillin,
warding off some illness guys
like E coli and some fungi.My sulphur compounds
you’ll know well
from garlic’s pungent
taste and smell!
5 When is a Fruit a Fruit? by Toni Newell
Did you know that cucumbers,
and tomatoes are a fruit?
For they internally house,
the seeds from which they shoot.We think of them as vegetables.
Their position on the shelves
with eggplants and zucchinis,
all being a fruits themselves.It’s sometimes our perception,
the way some fruits are served,
mistakes them for a vegetable,
when hot, not raw/preserved.Often it seems obvious,
an apple, orange, pear,
watermelon, cantaloupe,
all fruits which we can share.It can get complicated,
by botanical classification.
Just observe what’s being served,
and gain an appreciation.
Three thousand years ago, celery seeds appear to have been used to make ointments and other medicines. Back then, this wild herb from the parsley family was stringy and bitter. But by the 17th Century, tastier versions were being cultivated.
4 Celery (Acrostic) by Barbara Smith
Crunchy fresh
Emerald pale stalks
Lightly fragranced
Each juicy mouthful a
Ready-made meal
Your very favourite.
Can we tempt you with a Carrot? As well as being a taproot vegetable, we use the word carrot (and the phrase carrot on a stick) to mean tempting or persuading someone to do something for a reward that’s just out of reach!
3 Healthy Orange Carrots (Pantoum) by Toni Newell
Carrots grow under the ground,
Now yellow, white and purple seen,
Their fernlike leaves above are found,
They are high in beta-carotene,Now yellow, white and purple seen.
Carrots contain lots of fiber,
They are high in beta-carotene,
They are an illness fighter.Carrots contain lots of fiber,
May be eaten cooked or raw,
They are an illness fighter,
Roasted, boiled or in coleslaw.May be eaten cooked or raw,
Their downside? Hardly any!
Roasted, boiled or in coleslaw,
Their benefits are many.
2 Carotene Carrot by Jeanie Axton
There stood a carrot
on my plate.
It looked up at me
and said “Please wait”before you take
your very first bite
Can I mention
I help your sight?My carotene,
a nice bright colour,
will make you strong
like no other.Vitamins and fibre
I’ll give to you,
so pick me up
and start to chew.Consider the goodness
I contain.
Come back and eat me
again and again!
Sunflowers are loved for their fabulous flowers, sustaining seeds & oil and their amazing ability to face the direction of the Sun.
1 Sunflowers by Sukarma Thareja & Celia Berrell
Look to the east
to greet the dawn,
then face the west
when twilight’s drawn.Youthful blossoms,
left to right,
follow the Sun
from dawn to night.Lopsided growth
on night-time stems
then turns their faces
east again.Heliotropic flowers
when young,
move their faces
to follow the Sun.