[THEME SONG BEGINS]
>>RACHEL: Welcome back, it’s time for Chompers, your morning and night toothbrushing show.
Start brushing on the top of your mouth, and make sure to get the molars all the way in the back
>>KIDS: 3, 2, 1 brush!
[THEME SONG ENDS]
>>RACHEL: It’s Interviews Week, and tonight our friend Jasmine is back with Melanie McTavish, who’s a farmer. She knows a lot about growing plants. So Jasmine asked her questions about farming, like:
>>JASMINE: What’s harvesting?
>>MELANIE: Harvesting is like when you're like picking a strawberry or your cutting the head of the broccoli off the plant so that you can bring it to the market.
>>JASMINE: And how much time passes between when you pick the fruit and I get to eat the fruit.
>>MELANIE: Well, we're harvesting either the day of the farmer's market or the day before. So if you are shopping at a farmers market. The food that you're eating was picked within the last day.
>>JASMINE: Switch your brushing to the other side of the top of your mouth…
[SWITCH BELL]
>>JASMINE: -and don’t brush too hard. And how do you know when a fruit or a vegetable is ready to be picked.
>>MELANIE: It usually depends on the color or the size. For example, a strawberry you want to make sure it's all the way Red.
>>JASMINE: What about a carrot. How do you know when a carrot is ready?
>>MELANIE: Carrots you can usually see the top of the orange part coming out of the soil just enough so that you can see how big it is. So just by looking at the tops of these kits you'll notice it's one big enough to harvest.
>>JASMINE: Switch to the bottom of your mouth…
[SWITCH BELL]
>>JASMINE: and keep brushing! So you grow flowers on your farm. Is it because they look pretty and smell good?
>>MELANIE: Number one I just love them. But also they bring pollinators to pollinate the fruits and vegetables on our farm.
>>JASMINE: And what’s a pollinator?
>>MELANIE: A pollinator is an insect - like a bee - that can spread pollen and plant to plant by visiting their flowers. So that will help a plant produce seeds and fruit.
>>JASMINE: Switch to the other side of the bottom of your mouth…
[SWITCH BELL]
>>JASMINE: and give your tongue a brush too. Do you eat any of the flowers you grow?
>>MELANIE: We do eat some of the flowers. You can eat Kalungi roses. Lavender which you can put in the tea. BUT don't just start eating any flower because some are poisonous. So it's important to make sure you're eating the right one.
>>JASMINE: What is it about farming that you love?
>>MELANIE: I love being outside and working with plants and feeding people.
>>JASMINE: I wish I could eat some of your delicious flowers.
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>>JASMINE: That's it for chompers tonight. Special thanks to Melanie McTavish.
Until next time. Melanie do you want to count us off:
>>MELANIE: 3, 2, 1 spit!
[THEME SONG ENDS]