There is nothing more rewarding than growing your own food! Am I right or am I right?!?
Being able to go into your yard and gather food for dinner, lunch and snacks is so neat and my kids love it just as much as I do! My kids favorite garden pickings are strawberries, green beans & cherry tomatoes. They head out to the garden almost daily to grab a bite.
The whole process, really, is an amazing experience. From planting seeds, watching the sprouts come in, tending to each plant daily & and of course, harvesting (my favorite)!
Getting the kids out in the garden and growing food is so beneficial.
It gets the kids outside, it's a cheap and easy activity, it can save money, it makes kids think about where their food comes from, it teaches them responsibility, it teaches them patience, it encourages them to eat health, it's eco friendly, it's a great life skill and of course it's fun!!
Here are a few snacks ideas straight from the garden!
Kale chips
Fresh Juice
No recipe needed for just picking and eating straight from the garden (beans, strawberries, cherry tomoatoes, etc.)
First things first, green beans, tomatoes and strawberries are very easy for kids to grab and eat so be sure to add them to your plant list because nothing beats fresh!
Cucumbers are another great garden snack that kids absoutely love! Plant only a few plants for endless prodcution.
One of our favorite easy snacks made from the garden is Kale chips!!!
Plant them, pick them all summer long and cook them up, within minutes you have a tasty snack for the whole family.
Cooking directions:
Rip into small/medium pieces
Drizzle olive oil over all the kale(be sure not to drench as they will end up soggy)
Add salt (optional: add garlic)
Toss
& put in the oven at 300degrees for about 8 minutes or until slightly crispy.
Juicing is another one of our favorites! Now this one I use other fruits that are not from my garden but the best part about juicing is you can add and subtract anything you want. So if you grow celery you can juice just celery for some amazing benefits. You can throw in anything you grow. Carrots with beets, cucumbers and kale make for a great juice. Find more recipes here
https://www.instagram.com/soulshinephotographer/ & click the natural health highlight
Juicing benefits http://vkool.com/benefits-of-juicing/
You can find recipes to the juices above with this link https://www.instagram.com/soulshinephotographer/
What was in our garden this year:
2 different kinds of strawberries Basil
Celery Sage
Cucumbers Thyme
Carrots Rosemary
2 different kinds of tomatoes Lavender
Kale Parsley
Radishes Mint
Bell Peppers Nasturtiums
Zucchini Marigolds
Beans
Herbs are another fun thing to plant. You can use them for seasoning meals, teas, infused oils and soaps if you are feeling creative :)
My kids get so excited for harvesting day. We spend the whole day harvesting, canning\storing & eating all of our goodies. Just the pure excitement on their faces pulling out the carrots that they've watched grow for months, is worth every dirty finger nail ;)
I can't tell you enough how much I love gardening with my kids.
If you don't have the room or the time to maintain a large garden, there are still options. Even if it's just a small garden with only a couple of potted veggies\herbs, that is plenty for kids to get excited and be able to reap the benefits.
And of course don't forget to plant some sunflower seeds to make your garden extra pretty :)
I hope your kids like these snack ideas as much as mine do!
-Brandi