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Trusty Narrator
Hey, parents trusty here. You know what I hear constantly from homeschool parents in the whosmarted community? Thank you for introducing us to ixl. I get it. My cousin homeschools her kids and raves about how much IXL helps. We're heading into that stretch where families are finishing the year strong, and then summer hits with travel camps and shifting routines, and that's where IXL shines. IXL is an award winning online learning platform that fits seamlessly into homeschooling, with interactive practice across math, language arts, science and social studies from Pre K through 12th grade. Everything's organized by grade and subject, so you quickly find what each kid needs. Kids get instant explanations. And parents, you get clear Progress reports. Over 15 million students use IXL and it's proven to improve achievement in all 50 states. So make an impact on your child's learning. Who Smarted? Listeners get an exclusive 20% off when they sign up today at www.ixl.com smartid. That's ixl.com/smarted. And now it's time for who Smarted?
Smarty Pants
Psst.
Trusty Narrator
Hey, smarty pants. It's snack time. See if you can guess what I'm munching on. Nope, not badly. Burnt pizza. That is me biting into a delicious juicy apple. A green apple, to be exact. Of course, I love other apples too, like Honeycrisps, Sun Crisps, Fuji Golden Delicious, to name but a few. Which do you prefer? I also love pairing apple slices with other tasty treats like cheese or peanut butter.
Carla the Cucumber
Mmm.
Trusty Narrator
Mmm.
Smarty Pants
Oh, did someone say snack time? How about some nice, delicious meat cake?
Trusty Narrator
No offense, Grandma, but I've been trying to eat healthier. I think I'd like to stick to mostly fruits and vegetables for snack time.
Smarty Pants
Oh, maybe I can make you a delicious veggie meat cake or a sweet fruity dessert meat cake.
Trusty Narrator
Um, actually, I was gonna go to the supermarket and just stock up on fruits and veggies.
Smarty Pants
Oh, good. I'll go with you. And then we can have meat cake after.
Trusty Narrator
Um, do I smell a meat cake burning in the oven?
Smarty Pants
Oh, no. I better go check.
Trusty Narrator
Now's my chance. Ah, here we are. The supermarket. AKA the grocery store. Okay, smarty pants, I've got my shopping cart and I'm entering the produce section. This is the part of the supermarket where you'll find all the fresh fruits and veggies. It's usually the first section of the store when you walk in. Any guesses why? Seeing all the bright colors and carefully arranged fresh fruits and veggies sets a positive Tone and encourages shoppers to spend more time and money in the store. Looking around at all these mist covered veggies has put me in the mood for a nice, healthy salad.
Smarty Pants
Yummy.
Trusty Narrator
What to put in it? Hmm, well, lettuce, of course, and some carrots, red cabbage, a tomato. Those are all delicious, savory vegetables.
Smarty Pants
Ahem.
Trusty Narrator
Smarty pants, did you hear someone? There doesn't seem to be anyone else here in the produce aisle. But I could have sworn I distinctly heard.
Smarty Pants
Ahem. Ahem.
Trusty Narrator
Hello? Who's there? Reveal yourself.
Smarty Pants
I would, but your hand is covering me.
Trusty Narrator
My hand? There's nothing in my hand but a tomato I was considering buying for my salad.
Smarty Pants
Yeah, that's me. And for the record, you don't need to squeeze me like an avocado to see if I'm ready to eat. If I'm red, I'm ripe.
Trusty Narrator
Wow, A ripe, red tomato is talking to me. How exciting. Do you have a name?
Smarty Pants
Yeah, Tom.
Trusty Narrator
Hi, Tom Tomato. I'm the trusty narrator. Sorry about the excess squeezing. I'm making a vegetable salad and I just wanted to make sure all of my vegetables were ready to eat, you being one of them.
Smarty Pants
Listen, trusty, I'm not upset about all the squeezing or even the eating part, okay?
Trusty Narrator
But you do seem annoyed about something, smarty pants. It's not just me.
Smarty Pants
The thing I'm annoyed about is a classic mistake that happens all the time.
Trusty Narrator
Oh, smarty pants. Any idea what my mistake was? You might have to help us out here, Tom Tomato.
Smarty Pants
Yeah, I get mistaken for a vegetable all the time, but the truth is, I'm a fruit.
Trusty Narrator
What? Tomatoes are fruits.
Smarty Pants
But.
Trusty Narrator
But, but tomatoes are used in veggie salads and veggie sandwiches. I just assumed they were vegetables.
Smarty Pants
Nope, tomatoes are fruit. You know why?
Trusty Narrator
Um, clearly not.
Smarty Pants
Well, I'll tell you all about it. In fact, I'm willing to bet I'm not the only food in your salad that's actually a fruit that you thought was a vegetable.
Trusty Narrator
Oh, boy. Who knew there was so much drama in the produce section? I wonder what other fruits I've mistaken for vegetables. And what makes a fruit a fruit and a vegetable a vegetable anyway? And why do so many of us get them confused? Get ready for a healthy whiff of science and history.
Smarty Pants
On who smarted, who's smarted? Who's smart? Is it you? Is it me? Me? Is it science or history? Listen up, everyone. We make smarting lots of fun. On who's smart and.
Trusty Narrator
Okay, Tom, what makes you a tomato, a fruit, and not a Vegetable. Smartypants, do you know to answer that?
Smarty Pants
Let's get some basic definitions out of the way. All right. Fruits and vegetables are both parts of plants that you eat. However, they're different in some key ways.
Trusty Narrator
Smartypants, any guesses what one of the main differences between fruits and veggies is? Is it A, the seeds, b, the colors, or C, the sweet taste? The answer is, A, the seeds.
Smarty Pants
Fruits are the sweet or sour part of a plant that contains seeds or a pit, which is essentially a giant seed.
Trusty Narrator
Aha. So because tomatoes have little seeds, that makes them a fruit.
Smarty Pants
Now you're getting it. In fact, the fruit is the part of the plant that holds the seeds.
Carla the Cucumber
Whoa.
Trusty Narrator
Smarty pants. True or false? Even though many fruits, such as apples, oranges, or bananas are sweet, a fruit doesn't have to be sweet. The answer is true.
Smarty Pants
Yep, some fruits are sour, like lemons, pineapple, or cranberries. Fruits are often eaten raw as a snack or dessert or used in cooking to add sweetness or flavor.
Trusty Narrator
And what about vegetables?
Smarty Pants
Vegetables, on the other hand, are the savory parts of plants, such as edible leaves, roots, and stems. Some common vegetables include carrots, broccoli, and spinach. Vegetables are often cooked and eaten as a side dish or part of a
Trusty Narrator
main course, which explains why veggies are usually eaten with your meal, while fruits are usually eaten after a meal like a dessert or as a snack.
Smarty Pants
That's right. Oh, look, here's someone else who wants to meet you.
Carla the Cucumber
Hi, trusty. I'm Carla the cucumber.
Trusty Narrator
Hi, Carla. At least I know where I stand with you. A cucumber is definitely a vegetable, right, smarty pants? What do you think?
Carla the Cucumber
Nope. I, too, am a fruit.
Trusty Narrator
Yikes. Cucumbers are fruits, too. Have all my veggie salads been secretly fruit salads?
Smarty Pants
It's looking that way. And why is a cucumber a fruit, smarty pants?
Trusty Narrator
Say it with me. Because cucumbers have seeds.
Smarty Pants
Yep.
Carla the Cucumber
Cucumbers and tomatoes both have seeds inside of us. Fun fact. Only one fruit has its seeds on the outside. Any guess what it is?
Trusty Narrator
Ooh, Smarty pants. What do you think? What is the only fruit with its seeds on the outside? Here's an audio hint. Um, a smoothie.
Smarty Pants
Not quite, but it could be in a smoothie.
Trusty Narrator
Oh, I know. That's the sound of a straw. And a strawberry has seeds on the outside. Smarty pants. Berry. Good if you got that one. Besides tomatoes and cucumbers, any other secret fruits hiding among the veggies?
Carla the Cucumber
Well, if a cucumber is Fruit. Then a pickle made from cucumbers is also a fruit. And then there's green beans and avocados. Both are fruits often mistaken for veggies.
Trusty Narrator
My world is seriously being turned upside down.
Smarty Pants
But wait, there's more.
Wyatt's Yoshi
More?
Smarty Pants
Don't forget eggplants. Summer squashes like zucchini, pumpkin and bell peppers. Doesn't matter if they're green, red, orange, or yellow. All fruits.
Carla the Cucumber
Same goes for spicy peppers like jalapeno, serrano, cayenne and ghost peppers.
Trusty Narrator
Mind blown. Okay, okay. Let's talk about the differences between fruits and and vegetables in terms of nutritional content. Smartypants. Which is higher in natural sugar, fruits or veggies? The answer is fruits.
Carla the Cucumber
Fruits are generally higher in natural sugars, such as fructose, which give them their sweet taste. They're also a great source of vitamins and minerals, particularly vitamin C and potassium.
Smarty Pants
Vegetables, on the other hand, are usually lower in sugar and higher in.
Trusty Narrator
In what, smarty pants? Is it A, salt, B, pepper, or C fiber?
Smarty Pants
The answer is C fiber.
Trusty Narrator
But what is fiber? Fiber is kind of the opposite of juicy. Think of raw carrots, broccoli, and spinach. Not much juice, right? But they are packed with vitamins and minerals, including vitamins A, K and folate.
Carla the Cucumber
All important, important ingredients for keeping your body in good working condition.
Trusty Narrator
So, are all of the fruits and vegetables you see at the supermarket from the same farm or farms close to where you live?
Smarty Pants
Nope. The fruits and vegetables at your local supermarket or grocery store are usually delivered from far away by truck, ship, or trains. The only produce in the supermarket grown near your house is marked as local, meaning grown within a day's trip to your grocery store.
Trusty Narrator
Gotcha. But wait. If they're shipped from far away, why aren't they all mushy and rotten?
Carla the Cucumber
Well, the different companies that grow these fruits and vegetables use different methods to keep them fresh. Some use chemicals to slow down the bugs and mold that cause mushiness or rot. Other companies pick their fruits and veggies before they're ripe and let them ripen on the way to the grocery store.
Trusty Narrator
Smartypants, I'm sure you know what ripe means. When a fruit or vegetable is ripe, does it mean A, rotten, B, ready to be eaten, or C, hard and not ready to cook? Of course, smarty pants, the answer is B, ready to be eaten.
Carla the Cucumber
A great example is the banana. I'm sure you've seen green bananas at the store if you've ever tried to eat one. Yuck. Not to mention you'd probably get a bellyache but when they ripen and turn bright yellow, they're ready to be eaten.
Smarty Pants
But if they ripen too much, they turn black and rotten. You'll start to see fruit flies and mushy slime. Also, yuck.
Trusty Narrator
Yeah, there's a tight window for bananas avocados too.
Smarty Pants
It's also good to know that citrus fruits like lemons, limes and oranges, they don't ripen after you pick them, but bananas, apples and pears keep on ripening after being picked.
Trusty Narrator
Good to know. So here's a question I've always wondered what is technically better for you, fruits or vegetables?
Smarty Pants
The answer is coming right up after
Trusty Narrator
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Wyatt's Yoshi
Who's that walking through the woods?
Smarty Pants
Wyatt's Yoshi.
Wyatt's Yoshi
Here to explore a world of curious creatures with you. Discovered a creature you haven't seen before. Why don't you get Yoshi to see what it tastes like? Hmm, soapy. No wonder this creature blows giant bubbles so big they can carry you. You can even jump from one bubble to another and reach new areas. There are plenty more surprises to discover too. Bowser Jr. What are you doing out here? You can jump into adventure with Yoshi and The Mysterious Book. May 21st only on Nintendo Switch 2. Game rated E for everyone.
Trusty Narrator
Attention all non mouth breathers. This is a code red. I repeat, this is a code red. So listen very carefully. What I'm about to say will turn your world upside down. I'm transmitting to you from Hawkins, Indiana to deliver this urgent message. Something survived in the winter of 85, so get ready for an all new animated adventure from the creators of Stranger Things. Bundle up and join 11 Mike, Will, Dustin, Lucas, Max, and all your most beloved characters as they uncover new mysteries, new monsters, and their greatest adventure yet. You've seen them fight Demogorgon, you've seen them fight Vecna, but you've never seen anything like this. Return to Hawkins for a whole new dimension of the Stranger Things universe in this epic animated series. Friends don't lie, so believe the hype. Stranger things tales from 85 only on netflix. Over and out. Now back to who's smarted. So, smartypants, what do you think? Which do you think is healthier for you, fruits or vegetables? The answer is both.
Carla the Cucumber
Tom's right. You really can't go wrong with either fruits or veggies. Both are important for a healthy diet. And eating a variety of fruits and vegetables can help provide your body with the nutrients it needs to function properly.
Trusty Narrator
Smartypants, how many times a day should kids eat fruits and vegetables? Is it 3, 10, or 50? Well, experts recommend getting at least five servings of fruits and vegetables per day.
Smarty Pants
Except in certain circumstances. You really can't have too many fruits or veggies.
Trusty Narrator
If only that were true about pizza. Anyway, we talked about all the different Fruits that get mistaken for vegetables. Are there any vegetables that people mistake for fruits?
Carla the Cucumber
Not really. The vegetable rhubarb, which looks a lot like celery and is sweet and used to make yummy desserts, is often thought of as a fruit, but it's actually a plant stem and doesn't have seeds inside. So definitely a vegetable.
Trusty Narrator
Wow, I gotta say, this has been one informative trip to the supermarket. Don't you agree, smarty pants? Who knew there was so much to learn about fruits and veggies?
Smarty Pants
You're kidding, right?
Trusty Narrator
Uh, about what?
Carla the Cucumber
That this is all there is to learn. We've got more fun facts about fruits and vegetables if you're into it.
Trusty Narrator
Are you kidding? I love fun facts. And so do the smarty pants and smarty parents. Go ahead, hit me with some sure thing.
Smarty Pants
Hey, trusty, did you know that bananas are berries, but strawberries aren't?
Trusty Narrator
Excuse me?
Carla the Cucumber
Berries are fruits that originate from one flower with one ovary which has lots of seeds. But despite having berry in their names, strawberries and raspberries are not berries at all.
Smarty Pants
But bananas, eggplants, tomatoes, and pomegranates are berries.
Trusty Narrator
True or false, smartypants? All berries are fruits. The answer is true.
Smarty Pants
But get this. Berries by definition have their seeds on the inside. But like we said earlier, a strawberry holds their seeds on the outside, which
Carla the Cucumber
means a strawberry is a fruit but not a berry.
Trusty Narrator
And a banana is because it has tiny seeds inside that you barely notice.
Smarty Pants
Exactly. Okay, here's another one. Which fruit has the most vitamin C?
Trusty Narrator
What do you think, smarty pants? Are you thinking the same thing I'm thinking? It's gotta be the orange, right? They always say to eat oranges for vitamin C, and that oranges and orange juice is good at chasing away a common cold.
Wyatt's Yoshi
Wrong.
Smarty Pants
Turns out kiwis contain more vitamin C than oranges.
Carla the Cucumber
In fact, this fuzzy little green fruit packs the biggest nutritional punch of any fruit in your produce aisle.
Trusty Narrator
Whoa.
Carla the Cucumber
And kiwis are known as a superfood with twice the vitamin C of an orange. Not to mention they are high in potassium and low in salt and are packed with other vitamins, minerals, and heart healthy nutrients too.
Trusty Narrator
Wow. I'm gonna add kiwis to my shopping list.
Smarty Pants
Okay, last fun fact. And it's a stinker. Trusty, what is the smelliest fruit in the world?
Trusty Narrator
Um, whatever fruit my grandma stuffs inside her dessert meat cake.
Smarty Pants
Ha. Good one. The answer is durian. Durian spelled D u r I a n grow on the durio tree in Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand it's about the size of a football and covered in spikes. The fruit inside is slippery. Can smell like rotten eggs, sweaty socks, or even garbage. How wild is that?
Trusty Narrator
Uh, yeah, that doesn't sound particularly appealing. I think I'll stick to my apples, carrots, broccoli and berries. Ooh, and kiwis. I think I see them over there.
Smarty Pants
Oh, hey, trusty. There you are. I'm thinking of making a Pan Asian dessert meat cake. Have you seen where they keep the durian?
Trusty Narrator
Oh, boy. I'm gonna finish my food shopping later. Gotta go. A super shout out to Andre in Albany, New York, who loves smarting, to who smarted and even plays each episode multiple times a day in the playroom, during dinner and on car trips. Wow. Now that is what we call a super smarty fan. Thanks, Andre. This episode, Fruits and Veggies, was written by Melissa Del Toro Schaffner and voiced by Melissa Del Toro Schaffner, Adam Dragonfruit Davis and Jerry Colbert. Technical direction and sound design by Josh Honeydew Hahn. Our associate producer is Max Licci Kamaski. The theme song is by Brian Sweet Potato Suarez with lyrics written and performed by Adam Tex Davis. Who Smarted was created and produced by Adam Tex Davis and Jerry Colber. This has been an Atomic Audio production. Hey, smarty pants. Trusty narrator here. Spring is here, and you know what that means on the farm. Baby chicks hatching inside their eggs. Calves moving into their tiny little houses. Flowers figuring out when it's time to wake up. And yes, that smell. You know the one. If you've ever wondered why any of that happens, I have got the show for you. The Super Smart Farm Show Podcast. But don't take it from me. Take it from my friend Elmer, who actually lives this stuff and hosts the show. This spring on the Super Smart Farm show, we're hatching chicks, visiting baby calves. And yes, we are going to talk about why farms smell funny in the spring. And trust me, once you know the reason, you'll never look at your garden the same way again. See what I mean? That's Super Smart Farm Show, a family podcast that answers every question and you never knew you had about farms, animals and food. Playful, curious, and genuinely smart. From the Lancaster farming team, who've been covering agriculture since 1955. Find Super Smart Farm show wherever you get your podcasts or at lancasterfarming. Com.
Who Smarted? – May 6, 2026
Host: Trusty Narrator | Featuring: Smarty Pants, Carla the Cucumber, Tom Tomato, Wyatt's Yoshi
This episode of “Who Smarted?” hilariously investigates the surprising world of fruits that masquerade as vegetables (and vice versa). With playful voices and interactive questioning, the show brings clarity to how we categorize plant foods scientifically, delving into definitions, common misconceptions, and fun nutritional facts—perfect for sparking curiosity and classroom chatter.
[05:30] Smarty Pants provides definitions:
Quiz moment:
Notable Quote:
“A fruit doesn't have to be sweet.” — Trusty Narrator [06:15]
[07:11] Enter Carla the Cucumber, who reveals:
The show lists commonly mistaken fruits:
Fun Fact Quiz:
[09:03] Fruits generally have more natural sugar (like fructose), along with vitamins C and potassium.
Vegetables are often higher in fiber and packed with vitamins A, K, and folate.
Notable interactive question:
“Which is higher in natural sugar, fruits or veggies? The answer is fruits.” — Trusty Narrator [09:19]
“My world is seriously being turned upside down.” — Trusty Narrator, on learning cucumbers are fruits [08:39]
“Bananas are berries, but strawberries aren’t?” — Trusty Narrator [17:51]
“Turns out kiwis contain more vitamin C than oranges.” — Smarty Pants [19:03]
The smelliest fruit in the world?
“The answer is durian... can smell like rotten eggs, sweaty socks, or even garbage.” — Smarty Pants [19:47–20:14]
The episode maintains a conversational, zany, and interactive tone—balancing education and laughs, perfect for engaging young listeners and classrooms.
If you thought you knew your fruits and veggies, think again! This episode will forever change how you look at your salad.