Let’s talk a rainbow of fruits and vegetables for your kids
“My favorite meal is radishes mixed with microgreens,” said no 21st–Century child ever.
Obesity, formerly linked with adults only, is now becoming a devious monster creeping into our children's lives. Why? Because we've given in too much to their demands of sugary food and any junk. Obesity, more often than not, leads to type 2 diabetes, among other detrimental health conditions commonly labeled 'incurable.’ Apparently, this statistic became ever more evident during the pandemic with a 2% increase in obesity among kids.
It’s time to take back control and work towards the longevity of our kids.
The best solution that will see us earn multiple rewards is turning to garden vegetables. It's not enough to just grow garden vegetables. You need to involve your kids in the gardening process at every step. Involving kids makes all the difference, and younglings who get to grow their own garden vegetables are statistically more likely to enjoy eating their produce.
Quick and Best Healthy Garden Vegetables to Introduce Young Kids
As the kids age, their attention spans will likely grow in tandem. However, their attention spans have been known to flee quicker than a retreating mouse when they are at that tender age. Our question then should be, 'What are the easiest vegetables to grow in a garden setting with my kids?’
Beatrice Callan, the expert from Parenthood Routine says that vegetables should be an important part of the kid's menu. If anything, parents should be worried that most kids don’t meet the daily recommended intake of fruits and veg. With that being the case, we need to be propelled into action as soon as yesterday. Here are seven thrilling ideas for garden vegetables all year round.
Peas – Early Spring Garden Vegetable
Enjoy your peas right from the pod.
The beauty of peas is that they take a short duration to mature, and kids can devour them right from the vine without fear of any toxins. The most favorable time to plant snow peas is during early spring when the weather starts getting warmer. Snow peas take roughly 6-7 weeks to harvest. Regular harvesting promotes flowering.
Another reason peas do particularly well with kids in garden vegetables is because their relatively smaller fingers can handle the larger seeds easily. Take extra precaution that the younger ones don't end up curiously trying out the taste of the seeds.
There’s a catch when it comes to snow peas – they don’t thrive on excessive water or wetness. Wait until the seedlings emerge to start watering.
Winter Squashes Including Pumpkins
Find different uses for the skin once you’ve done enjoying yourselves
Unlike snow peas, your little ones won't enjoy winter squashes right off the garden. However, combine the huge leaves and the changing color of pumpkins, and you have yourself a double portion of curiosity. Kids perform exceptionally well once their curiosity antennae are aroused.
These winter garden vegetables give you the flexibility of growing a rainbow of winter squashes.
Here is one alluring trick sure to catch the attention of your kiddo. While the pumpkins are still green and roughly the size of a softball, curve out your kids' names on the pumpkin's skin. The scratch will grow with the squash making it more personal during harvest time. If you have several kids, be sure to watch them guard their personalized pumpkins at harvest time. That should be fun.
Corn – the Summer King
Ever tried roasted corn with a sprinkling of chili?
Garden vegetables can be used to instill life lessons in kids. Parents can teach children that with proper care, attention, love, and support, the young ones can nurture something (whatever the business or invention) that becomes bigger than themselves—a kind of a concept that outlives them.
The genesis of such a lesson would be seen in corn – resilient summer garden vegetables. Be sure to watch their wondrous eyes grow in amazement as they realize the plant is growing to be bigger than the both of you.
Corn typically takes 12 weeks to ripen and needs plenty of sun, water, and mulch. Corn is one thirsty plant for sure. Kindly share with us your favorite corn recipes.
Another bonus with corn is that some products from corn are ideal when you are thinking of how to introduce food to baby.
Cherry Tomatoes – Sweet Sugar for Spring
Don’t wait for your cherries to ripen too much
We kicked off this article by casting stones at sugar. However, natural, unprocessed sugars from fruits and veg carry a burst of nutrition. Among kids' favorite picks among garden fruits and vegetables are cherry tomatoes.
A lot can be said about cherry tomatoes. They are easy to plant, take a short duration (around 7weeks,) come in a wide variety, and can be grown in containers if space is a problem. Make sure you don’t expose these little darlings to excessive heat.
The alternative for cherry tomatoes is strawberries.
Chocolate Mint – All Day Everyday
Use your homegrown veggies to prepare regular fruit and vegetable shakes. Your kids will surely relish in that.
Well, mint takes a soft spot in our hearts not only because of the rich taste but also the variety. Everybody Hates Chris, but every Dick, Jane, Harry, and Jane love mint. Even bees enjoy their pink, spring flowers. If there’s any creature that understands sweetness, bees would it.
Avoid planting mint during deep winter as the cold will choke out the life out of the leaves.
You could try different varieties of mint with your kids as garden vegetables include peppermint, spearmint, pineapple mint, lemon mint, apple mint, and banana mint.
It’s only a matter of time before we can boast of watermelon mint.
Cucumbers – Plant When Warmer
If your child hasn’t developed a liking to cute fresh cucumbers right from the garden, perhaps they’ll enjoy a serving of pickles. What’s more, if you are looking for ideas on how to freeze garden vegetables, cucumbers (pickles) offer you the perfect start.
Always have minimum ingredients for your garden vegetables to allow kids the chance to enjoy the taste of each component. A simple recipe with cucumber involves sprinkling salt and apple cider vinegar on top of sliced cucumber. Refrigerate for a minimum of 30 minutes to allow the flavors to combine richly, then serve.
As you water your cucumbers regularly, be on the lookout for snails and slugs, which also seem to possess a magnetic attraction to this garden vegetable.
Basil – the Perfect Herb
Here’s the perfect herb to seal the deal
We would not have a complete list of garden fruits and vegetables without including one particular herb. Basil grows faster than any of the aforementioned garden vegetables. Usually, the herb will take 4-5 weeks to produce its first set of true leaves.
We can all agree with the 'the more, the merrier' movement. Basil provides you with a variety of options, all having richly distinct tastes. They include lemon basil, sweet basil, Thai basil, and purple basil. Do thorough research to find out which variety works best in your region.
Winding Remarks
It's widely accepted that cooking is an art in itself. However, we dare say that every element concerning food, from the seedling to the stomach, is an artistic work. Since art is meant to be shared, get to share every moment with your kids. To be fair, there is no starting age – you can take out a toddler in a stroller and place them under a shade if circumstances allow you.
The bottom line is, taking your kids to the garden and trying out different garden vegetables could be a lifelong culture and discipline they will later thank you. If you prefer to grow long-standing crops, perhaps that will teach them a little patience in life.
What are your kids’ favorite garden vegetables?
Bio:
Alan has lived on a farm all his life, where he gained outstanding knowledge of gardening and farming from his grandparents, and now he continues to grow in this area with his family, passing on knowledge to his children and gaining new ones with their help. Now he has decided to share his experience with others who are as obsessed with gardening as he is.
