Asha and Kameron – proud of their black raspberry picking. Just love this image of sibling love.

Hi Sparky Youthful Love of Food,

This summer I had the chance to enjoy the youth of young children who visited Riverbend.  And, I came to wonder why some kids love veggies and some don’t?  Well, it comes down to having them involved in food prep and having them explore how food grows.

I enjoy having children visit my garden to smell flowers, pick the herbs and eat fruits and veggies right off the plant.  So, when my niece and some great friends came to visit, I took the opportunity to share my garden with them.

I am so proud of picking my own food. My red fingers show that I ate a few as picked 🙂

Taking the time to smell the lavender.

Just look at their faces as they show off the black raspberries they picked.  And seeing my niece smell fresh lavender was just so cute.

I also planned to have sprouts growing at the same time of their visit so they could see how food grows from seeds.  I loved showing them a seed demo where I shrunk down to a ball and then grew to a full plant using the energy from the seed, water and the sun.  Kids love to see adults act silly and it captures their attention.  Of course the physical demo ended with tasting the sprouts, which the kids loved and likely would have never tried without being involved.

Black Raspberries on the bush

Black Raspberries with lavender and lemon balm picked from my garden by little hands.

My niece picking her first black raspberries.

Watch out for the thorns as you pick

What’s in the bowl – why black raspberries fresh off the bush of course.

I am so proud of picking my own food. My red fingers show that I ate a few as picked 🙂

Taking the time to smell the lavender.

Little hands love picking their food.

Kameron exploring the black raspberry bush.

Asha helping out to pick black raspberries.

Asha and Kameron – proud of their black raspberry picking. Just love this image of sibling love.

I also had lots of veggies and antioxidant rich fruits (raspberries, blueberries) ready to go for hungry tummies when they arrived.

Still time to get your children out in the garden

It is not too late this summer to have your children, nieces, nephews, friends or grandchildren get involved in the garden.  You can take them to the farmer’s market, try growing sprouts indoors or buy some seeds to try in a pot.  Some quick growing veggies are radish, lettuce, and spinach.  The best option is to take your children to a real garden.  We have lots of pick-your-own fruit and veggies farms and you might have a friend or family member that would be delighted to share their garden with little hands and big hearts.

To sharing the garden bounty with little hands,

Jo-Ann Blondin, your 9CupChallenge partner