Get Me Outta That Box ,Into My Garden ,Get to Know Me
Getting The Kids into the Garden
Ok so now its time for a bit of openness and honesty and a picture of Nissa (me) casting my judgment onto others! Children’s eating habits! This is a sensitive topic for me and I place quite a hefty sack full of judgment onto many people in regards to the way kids eat, and I’m not talking about poor people who cannot afford better, I’m talking about those who can and who are educated accordingly and just simple don’t. Sometimes I feel like feeding a child a healthy meal and being an American kid are two opposing things. No matter how hard you try all forces seem to be pulling in the opposite direction and I am not always sure this is the child pulling first. Now first we start with all the crap that we produce and call food and then specifically market to children. Sugary cereals, processed cookies, crackers and chips and then oh yes the most evil of them all SODA! Children’s pallets are shaped, pure and simple and as parents or adults we are the ones who are shaping these little pallets so, the question really is, and this is where I pass my big fat judgment, are you going to let kellogs shape your child’s pallet and in the process fill up the bank accounts of the executives? Or are you going to shape your child’s pallet by doing whatever it takes to get good healthy food into its mouth, time and time and time again. Seeking out what you need to know to make it flavorful as well as healthy. No it’s not easy but it’s really necessary. So for now all we can really do is encourage adults to take responsibility for what they feed their kids and to also take into account that we cannot simply just give them build vegetables and call it a day, we need to give them flavors and develop their pallets just as we do ours but first they need the chance. Give it to them!
In summer gardens grow everywhere and no matter where you live I am sure there is access to a garden somewhere even in a school or nearby farm. Do whatever it takes to get your kid in the garden and learning about how vegetables grow. Just as children are apt to eat more if they have helped cook, their little pallets open up even wider when they get to nourish in the garden, harvest and eat! It’s a simple process really, start by some container herbs or if you have the space a small garden and by have the space I mean have a 3 X 3 foot patch of dirt! Their little eyes light up to a seed sprout, to watch a head of broccoli come into full bloom from seed to head! So I guess what I am saying is that I am trying not to judge truly, but I am and in this case I feel like it is soooooo important. Get your kids into the garden and let them watch their food grow! Show them what the fresh flavors taste like up close and allow them to have their pallets shaped by something more real than a rice crispy bar or a ding don!
I had the pleasure of traveling to Missouri to visit my brother and his children and went camping with a slew of kids. For a few days I got to cook and play in the garden with the kids and they were amazing the joy they had helping put the recipes together. All the goods that they harvested from the garden came into the house in small bowls even through the picked big ones, because they ended up eating all the peas, strawberries, carrots and lettuces! It never amazes me what kids appreciate, if you give them the opportunity they will always surprise you!
