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You are here: Home / Food / Delicious Foods: Brought to You By Pollinators

June 16, 2016

Delicious Foods: Brought to You By Pollinators

How can you enjoy National Pollinator Week, June 20- 26, 2016?  Eat some great food!

National Pollinator Week is a time to celebrate pollinators and spread the word about what you can do to protect them.  The Pollinator Partnership has great information about Pollinator Week, “a celebration of the valuable ecosystem service provided by bees, birds, butterflies, bats and beetles.”

sunflower with beeIf pollination ensures a bountiful food supply, what foods are we talking about? Five major crops rely heavily upon insect pollination: almonds, apples, blueberries, melons and squash.  Some additional foods produced with the help of pollinators include: strawberries, chocolate, peaches, figs, cucumbers and tomatoes. In addition to those fruits, vegetables and nuts, there are other crops that rely on pollinators. Alfalfa is pollinated by insects and is a staple food in a cow’s diet. From the cow, we enjoy milk as a beverage as well as cheese and yogurt. Sunflower and canola plants require pollination for their seeds and/or oil for cooking.

In 2016, Ohio was one of eight states that trained teen leaders through 4-H Youth Development to facilitate a Honey Bee Challenge, teaching youth to learn about science, honey bees and their role in pollination. This STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) activity included bee bots (mini-robots) and glitter “pollen” sprinkled on a map of a farm showing rows of cucumbers, melons, sunflowers, blueberries and apples.

_appetizer-1386743_1920Thirty-five percent of all crop production requires insect pollination. Another way to look at it is that one out of every three bites we eat requires insects. To celebrate Pollinator Week, consider using the pollinator friendly meal ideas list. This menu was created in 2007 but still offers a tasty selection of foods including the following courses: appetizers, vegetarian entrees, entrees, dessert and cocktails/drinks. For Pollinator Week I might prepare a cheese platter with dried figs, a fresh salad with a rainbow of vegetables, almond encrusted fish, vanilla ice cream with berries and tea. What are your favorite pollinated foods?  Plan to enjoy some next week! #‎Bee sure to use ‪#‎pollinatorweek on your social media posts to share how you are celebrating #pollinators.

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WRITTEN BY: Patrice Powers-Barker, Ohio State University Extension Educator, Family and Consumer Sciences, Lucas County

REVIEWED BY: Donna Green, Family and Consumer Science Educator, Ohio State University Extension, Erie County

SOURCES:

  • Bees Create a Buzz with Annual 4-H Challenge http://cfaes.osu.edu/news/articles/bees-create-buzz-with-annual-4-h-challenge
  • USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture https://nifa.usda.gov/sites/default/files/resource/NIFA%20Infographic%20008_March%202016%20FINAL_0.pdf
  • North American Pollinator Protection Campaign Pollinator Friendly Meal Ideas http://pollinator.org/Resources/Pollinator%20Recipes%204%206%2007%20AZ.pdf
  • The Pollinator Partnership http://pollinator.org/pollinatorweek/

Categories: Food
Tags: fruits and vegetables, gardening, local foods

Patrice Powers-Barker

About Patrice Powers-Barker

Patrice Powers-Barker, CFLE (Certified Family Life Educator) implements Ruby Green Smiths’ description of Family and Consumer Sciences, “where science and art meet life and practices.” The Mind and Body topic lends well with empowering families to evaluate their daily habits and to make individual as well as family goals to enact mindfulness and abundance. The “science and art” of mindfulness can be practiced throughout different aspects of life - from work and play to eating or parenting and education. Patrice loves spending time with family, treasuring the four seasons of Northwest Ohio and appreciating the abundance of her local community.

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