Bat Fruit Salad

Lucille, my plush bat named for my grandmother, reminded me of how much fun she and I had riding together on the Rapha Women’s 100 and on my century earlier this month.  At the rest stops on the century, she enjoyed posing with several fruits that bats pollinate.  Many products we use every day, like fruits, nuts, hardwoods, balsa wood, spices, dyes, and fibers, depend on bats.  Some commercial plants, like bananas and peaches, do not rely directly on bats for pollination or seed dispersal, but their genetic ancestors do.  If agriculturists ever want to improve the disease resistance of the commercial plants or cultivate new varieties, they must obtain genes from the ancestral plants.

You can make a delicious Bat Fruit Salad to showcase bat-dependent foods.  The recipe below is from The Educator’s Activity Book about Bats.  Adjust the quantities according to your taste and what’s available.  For example, I use fresh mango and fresh figs when they are in season but use dried ones other times of year.

Bananas

Mangos

Dates

Peaches

Figs

Canned guavas

Peach or banana yogurt

Cashews

Carob chips

Cut fruit into bite-sized pieces and place in a large mixing bowl.  Stir in yogurt.  Place in a serving bowl.  Sprinkle with cashews and carob chips.