Food Revolution Day is a global day of action to keep cooking skills alive, started by the Jamie Oliver Food Foundation. It's a day to celebrate the importance of cooking good food from scratch and raising awareness of how it impacts our health and happiness, and it all starts with getting kids food smart.
What better way to do this than starting a garden with your children! It's a fun way to teach them not only about cooking good food from scratch, but about growing healthy fruits and vegetables too.
Teaching your kids about gardening early on will help them to appreciate where food comes from, and only benefit them later on in life.
For example, planting seeds and watching them grow helps children learn about the growth process, the environment and the food they eat. But what is more is that they will love being able to sit at the table and say they grew the lettuce or carrots being served for dinner.
There are benefits for the whole family too!
A backyard vegetable garden makes it easy to incorporate fresh vegetables into healthy meals and snacks. Mostly it means spending quality family time together, working side by side on a project that will be nourishing for the mind and body.
Where to start?
1. PLAN YOUR PLOT
One of the first things you need to decide is where you'll plant your garden and how big it will be. You could start with a small plot in the backyard or even a garden planter in the house.
If starting outside, have your kids help you find a spot with the best growing conditions by letting them monitor the sun and shade in various proposed plots. You want an area that gets plenty of sunlight, at least six hours each day.
2. PLAN YOUR PLANTS
Now you are ready to pick your plants! Let each child select two or three favourites (things they like to eat) and then, go online and look up the varieties that will do best where you live.
Another great thing to do if is teach them about planting seeds collected from the foods we eat, like an avocado tree for example (if you have space for one) using the avocado seed. There are many great tutorials online for this.
3. TIME TO GARDEN
Now your ready to get to it with your kids. Head to the nursery to pick up seeds, or you if you are familiar with seed swapping you can try getting seeds this way.
If you're planting directly in the ground, you'll need a few decent shovels. Or, if you'll use containers which are great for smaller areas, backyards covered in concrete, and areas with poor soil conditions you will have to get potting mix.
Whether you and your child only grow a few herbs this year or if you have an entire garden bursting with fresh produce, you can have a fun time playing in the garden together, enjoy the taste of home-grown food, and nurture your child's interest in the many benefits growing a garden can provide.
And here are some seasonal recipes you can try with your kids this Food Revolution Day
- - Seasonal Potato and Leek Soup
- - Thai chicken bites
- - Vegan quinoa bread and roasted seasonal vegetables