Grape Hedgehog
We're sure you're having a fantastic Christmas!
We hope you have managed the difficult challenge of eating the twelve grapes with the chimes, but as there are almost always some left over, we suggest making a grape hedgehog.
Did you have any leftover grapes from New Year's Eve this year?
If that's the case, and you don't know what to do with all those grapes, we'll give you an idea before they go bad. You know, we should avoid wasting food and use everything.
We're going to tell you a fun, creative and very easy way for the little ones in the house to have fun creating, cooking and eating grapes, and that's by making a grape hedgehog.
First, let's gather the few things materials that are needed:
- Green grapes, approximately 40 units
- Toothpicks
- 1 black olive
- Fruit peeler.
- 1 Pear
Let's learn a little about the hedgehog, a fascinating animal.
The European hedgehog is an insectivorous mammal whose entire body, except for its belly, is covered in spines. It has a somewhat flattened, stocky, and heavy appearance, reaching up to 1,100 grams in weight. Its eyes are small, very dark, and bulging; its ears are short and rounded, and its snout is pointed. Its legs are short, each with five toes and strong claws. The tail is also short. It has a total of 36 teeth. Its droppings are similar to those of a domestic cat, but hedgehog droppings contain insect remains, such as legs, heads, antennae, and pieces of exoskeleton. This indicates its diet. Therefore, it is very beneficial to humans because it eats insects that are harmful to crops and gardens.
Its sense of smell is highly developed, it walks a lot, and it's an excellent swimmer. Its defense against predators consists of curling up into a ball so that its spines protect it from all sides.
It prefers forests, scrubland, bushes, hedges, thickets, forest edges, cultivated areas, stony places, and generally less cold and damp locations. It is very common near towns and villages and in winter may use man-made structures for shelter from the cold.
It is primarily nocturnal and can be seen from dusk till dawn. During the day it shelters in nests made of leaf litter, hair, grasses, etc.
It's important to know that we shouldn't bother a hedgehog.
From October to April, depending on the weather (usually when the temperature drops below 10 degrees Celsius), hedgehogs enter a period of rest called hibernation. They typically emerge to forage after it starts to rain, and it's common to see them among the undergrowth in the forest. If we disturb or handle a hedgehog during this period of dormancy, we leave it vulnerable to the cold and predators, as it is semi-asleep and has lowered its vital signs to conserve energy during the cold winter, making it unable to defend itself.
Their main enemy is man, primarily his car. Many are killed on the road, so we must drive carefully to protect our friends. Other enemies include dogs, foxes, badgers, eagles, and owls… But these are all part of the natural balance of life.
Let's cook! Our hedgehog step by step.
First, we need to cut off the stem of the pear and, using a potato peeler, peel half of the pear, starting from the tip and working our way down to the middle. The peeled half will be the face of our hedgehog.
If you don't have a peeler and have to use a knife, or if you find it a little difficult, ask an adult for help. It's also more fun to make our hedgehog together as a family.
Place each grape on a toothpick. This is a task that requires patience. Although we assure you it doesn't take long to do.
Once you have a few grapes with their toothpicks inserted, you can start sticking them into the pear. Keep in mind that the shorter end of the toothpick should be inserted into the fruit, while the longer end should stick out to resemble the hedgehog's quills. You can also arrange the smaller grapes at the front and the larger ones towards the back. Try to place them in rows to make it look as even as possible.
Cut a small piece from the black grape and remove the pit; this will be the animal's nose. Insert the olive into the tip of the pear; this will resemble its nose.
Do you remember the pear stem?
Cut it in half and stick the pieces in as if they were the hedgehog's eyes.
We have our very own hedgehog!
Now we only have one task left: to eat the grapes one by one like a delicacy.
We can make as many hedgehogs as we want and decorate our kitchens so that everyone can snack on their grapes and they don't get forgotten at the bottom of the refrigerator.
We have many more environmental education activities for you in our school of naturalists
The whole family is sure to have fun with this activity!
