Kids Club Vol. 46: Cherry Tomatoes
KIDS CLUB
VOLUME 46
Welcome to the latest issue of our ChopChop Kids Club newsletter!
This month we’re cooking with cherry tomatoes. Or, more accurately, not cooking with cherry tomatoes. Pop a sweet, bursting cherry tomato into your mouth, and it will make sense that these are actually berries. (Botanically speaking, tomatoes are a fruit; technically speaking, they’re a berry; and legally speaking—according to an 1893 Supreme Court ruling about how to classify them—they’re a vegetable.) We’ve got a few no-cook ideas for you, as well as a fun activity, a question of pronunciation, and more. So call them whatever you like, and enjoy the last of the summer growing season, even if you’re already back at school.
Welcome, fall!
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
- RECIPE
Greek Salad Kabobs
Greek Salad Kabobs
kitchen gear
- Cutting board
- Sharp knife (adult needed)
- Measuring spoons
- Zester or grater
- Small bowl
- Measuring cup
- Bamboo skewers
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1⁄2 teaspoon grated lemon zest
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh mint
- 1 small garlic clove, peeled and minced or put through a garlic press
- 1 8-ounce block feta cheese, cut into cubes
- 1 cucumber, quartered lengthwise and cut into cubes
- 2 cups cherry tomatoes
- 1 cup pitted black or green olives
Instructions
- Put the lemon juice and zest, olive oil, mint, and garlic in the bowl and mix well. Add the feta and gently stir. Leave it to marinate while you prepare the other ingredients.
- Thread the marinated feta, cucumber, tomatoes, and olives onto the skewers, alternating and arranging them however you like. (Tip: Push the skewers slowly and gently through the cheese cubes so that they won’t be inclined to crumble.) Serve right away.
Notes
Like their cousins eggplants and bell peppers, tomatoes are in the nightshade family—famous for its poisonous member belladonna, or deadly nightshade! Tomatoes, however, are not poisonous and are more than merely edible. They’re delectable!
- RECIPE
Cherry Tomatoes with Twinkle Spice
Cherry Tomatoes with Twinkle Spice
kitchen gear
- Measuring cup
- Measuring spoons
- 1 plate
- 2 small bowls
Ingredients
- 2 cups grape tomatoes
- 1 tablespoon cold tap water
- 1 teaspoon Twinkle Spice
Instructions
- Put the tomatoes on the plate.
- Put the water and Twinkle Spice in two separate bowls.
- To serve, let guests dip one side of each tomato in the water, then in the Twinkle Spice.
Notes
- RECIPE
Twinkle Spice
Twinkle Spice
kitchen gear
- Measuring cups
- Small bowl
- Spoon, for mixing
- Small clean jar with lid
Ingredients
- 1⁄4 cup kosher salt
- 1⁄2 cup curry powder, five-spice powder, chili powder, or ground ginger
Instructions
- Put all the ingredients in the bowl and mix well.
- Spoon or pour the mixture into the jar for gifting.
Notes
Kitchen Science: Tomato Chemistry
Have you ever made a baking soda volcano? This is a kitchen version of that experiment, and it tests the same basic chemical reaction.
- Cut a cherry tomato in half and put it in a small dish. Put a spoonful of vinegar in another small dish and a spoonful of water in a third dish.
- Sprinkle the water with a pinch of baking soda. What happens?
- Sprinkle the vinegar with a pinch of baking soda. What happens this time? Do you know why?
- Sprinkle the tomato with a pinch of baking soda. What happens? What conclusion can you draw about the tomato?
What other ingredients could you test? Can you predict what would happen with each one?
FUN WITH WordS: To-MAY-to, To-MAH-to
Have you ever heard that classic jazz song with the lyrics “You say to-MAY-to, I say to-MAH-to. You say po-TAY-to, I say po-TAH-to”?
There are probably words that you and your family pronounce differently from other people you know. This might be because of where you live, where your family came from, or the culture you grew up in.
Can you think of any? Here are some to get you started: caramel, neither, pajamas, pecan, and envelope.
More Cherry Tomatoes? Try One of These Recipes
Stuffed Cherry Tomatoes
Roasted Cherry Tomatoes
Tomato Toast Salad
Double Tomato Bean Salad
- RECIPE