Try it out: creative snacks and candied fruit for kids

Children can be persuaded to nosh on fruit and other nutritious foods if you add a little fun first. Here's how to pack them a lunch they'll actually be excited to dig into.

Try these homemade recipes the next time you want to get creative:

• Fashion an edible caterpillar by skewering melon balls, grapes and cheese cubes on an uncooked spaghetti strand.
• Pour melted chocolate over trail mix to create a yummy fruit-and-nut cluster.
• Let the sun shine: Cut pineapple pieces into triangles and arrange on a plate in a circle to create the rays of the sun. Spoon a little vanilla yogurt into the center for dipping.
• For the classic "ants on a log" treat, fill the indentation of a piece of celery with peanut butter and sprinkle raisins (or "ants") along the log.
• Create a flower kids will want to devour by using segments of a clementine or tangerine for the petals, a strawberry for the center and kiwis sliced into the shapes of leaves.

Fruits are candied by dipping them in a strong sugar concentrate to preserve them and give them a sweeter flavour. Here are some tips to get you started:

• Except for strawberries, berries aren't good candidates to be candied because they're too soft.
• For fruits such as grapes, which can be candied whole, it's best to poke a hole in them to allow the sugar solution to penetrate them completely.
• Candy orange and lemon slices with the peel intact, using only organic fruit.

How to make the syrup:

1. Boil one litre/quart of water and one kilogram (two pounds) sugar until strings form.
2. Suspend 550 grams (18 ounces) fruit or pieces of fruit in a strainer in a steel bowl and pour the sugar solution over the fruit until it is completely covered.
3. Let steep for a day, before removing and drying the fruit. Then boil up the sugar solution and pour it over the fruits again.
4. Repeat this process five times. The last time, boil the sugar solution down further and let the prepared fruits dry thoroughly on a cooling rack.

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