Join us on an educational adventure through each state in the USA! Each post in this series focuses on one state, and includes a regional recipe from that state. This is a fun way to get your kids involved in cooking, as well as learn a bit about United States geography! The post also includes a link to the featured state’s website, where you can learn more about the state. We also include free forms that you can download and print to use along the journey. Geography has never been so delicious!

Make sure to check back each week for the next post!

Did you know that South Carolina is the country’s leading producer of peaches for the fresh market?

This recipe is for a peachy snack you can eat anytime. Mmmm good!

SOUTH CAROLINA Peach Fruit Leather

What You Will Need:

• Vegetable Oil Cooking Spray


• 1-1/2 cups chopped Fresh Peaches


• 1 tablespoon Lemon Juice


• 1 tablespoon Sugar (optional)


• 1/4 teaspoon Nutmeg (optional)


• Cookie Sheet


• Blender


• Resealable Plastic Storage Bags

What You Do:

• Preheat oven to 175 degrees F.


• Spray vegetable oil cooking spray on a cookie sheet and set aside.


• Rinse the peaches well and remove the pit.


• Chop peaches into chucks.


• Place peaches, lemon juice, and nutmeg into a blender and blend until smooth. Add sugar, if necessary, to taste.


• Pour the peach mixture onto a cookie sheet and spread thin so the mixture covers the cookie sheet.


• Bake mixture in the oven with the door slightly open for 3 hours. Make sure to check the mixture every 30 minutes to see if the peach layer is dry enough to peel off the cookie sheet. If it is still wet after 3 hours, use a spatula to flip it over and return it to the oven for about 10 more minutes.


• When fruit leather is dry, remove cookie sheet from oven and peel the peach layer from the cookie sheet. Place peach leather on a cutting board, then cut into strips.


• Roll fruit leather in plastic bags for storage.

Variations:

• This recipe works very well with a variety of fruit. Experiment and have fun!


• With close adult supervision, let your kids cut their own shapes into the fruit leather. A small paring knife will work, when used with caution. Metal cookie cutters work well, too.

South Caroline State Information – Click this link to learn more about South Carolina attractions, activities, and to request free brochures, maps, and so much more!

US Geography Journal Pages – Use these journal pages to create a geography journal as you collect information about each state.

South Carolina Outline Map – Use this state map to label capitals, major rivers and lakes, and other areas of interest. Draw a star on the place you would most like to visit in this state!

United States Outline Map – Use this USA map to track your journey as you “eat your way across the USA”! Color in each state that you’ve tried one of recipes for.

• The United States Cook Book – Take a Tasty Tour of America’s 50 States, and learn a lot of United States geography along the way! (PLEASE NOTE: The recipe featured above is not included in this book.)


• US History Cook Book – Serve up a heaping lesson of history with delicious recipes from our nation’s past… from the pilgrims’ first feast to today’s high-tech, low-fat fare.


• Maps of the United States – This reproducible book contains geopolitical maps of each of the fifty states; political maps of the six regions; and political, physical, and thematic maps of the United States. You’ll also find fun facts, geography bee-type questions, and review pages.


• DK State-by-State Atlas – More than an atlas, this book shows and tells young geographers who, what, when, where, and why.


• The Geography Book – From finding directions by the stars, to mapping your neighborhood, to making an earthquake in a box, you’ll have a great time learning about the world with The Geography Book.


• Professor Noggins USA Geography Game – From rural farming communities to urban cities, from snow-capped mountains to tropical islands, this game covers both the natural and political geography of the United States. Learn about the states, cities, and natural geographical wonders that make this country such an interesting place to visit.


• State by State Card Game – Learning about United States geography is made fun and memorable with this unique deck of cards!


• GeoPuzzle USA Puzzle – GeoPuzzles provide a hands-on approach to learning geography.

Make sure to check back next week for the next state in this series!

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