For most people, not eating enough vegetables is either about laziness or taste (or both).
Vegetables take more effort to prepare – washing, peeling, cutting – and don’t necessarily taste as good as the packaged snack that requires only opening and eating. However, there is an answer: fresh, local vegetables from a garden. Just wash and eat.
Yes, asparagus has arrived, marking the beginning of delicious fruit and vegetable season. If you are going to enjoy vegetables any time of the year, the time starts now.
Choosing between chips and winter tomatoes is a no-brainer, but… fresh snap peas? Slender young carrots? Crunchy mini cucumbers?
Fresh, local fruits and vegetables taste better because they are harvested when they are ripe. They make you feel good because they do not need to be shipped around the world to get to your door. One great way of getting your family on the veggie wagon is by starting your own vegetable garden.
Studies have shown that children who grow their own food are more likely to eat and enjoy fruits and vegetables.
Gardening engages children on many levels: designing, preparing, planting, watering, weeding, and harvesting food. Gardening teaches children about science and nature while providing opportunities to play and explore outside. Young children will have most fun digging in the dirt, watering, and harvesting whereas older children can be more involved in all steps of growing food. Watching a tiny seed grow into a huge plant that produces food is an amazing process.
There is something inherently good about growing your own food, and no store-bought variation will make you feel quite as good.
But do not worry. Even if you have no interest in gardening, you can still buy garden-fresh food at the local farmers’ markets, getting the same tasty produce without all the work.