2011 has been named Year of the Vegetable by Mr. George Ball, president of the W. Atlee Burpee Company. (The cynic in me thinks, well isn't that convenient...you sell vegetable seeds, so why not make every year "Year of the Vegetable," right?) But I read on to become inspired! Here is a quote from the newsletter:
Eighteen years ago as president of the American Horticultural Society, [Mr. George Ball] initiated a successful children's gardening program. He now wants to inspire all of America to at least develop a starter garden. A recent study by the Centers for Disease Control shows that only 26 percent of Americans eat at least three servings of vegetable a day. With child obesity at an all-time high, Mr. Ball advocates a nutritional diet with lots of fruits and vegetables. It has been found that kids who grow vegetables alongside their parents eat them regularly and with gusto.Not too shabby, eh? My nephew is five and I don't believe he has ever willingly eaten a vegetable. My sister sneaks vegetable nutrients into his 'milkshakes' in the morning. This has kept him incredibly healthy, active, fit, and smart as a whip, but I wonder if he would be more into eating his veggies if he grew some on his own. I'm going to get him started on this project when I go down to SoCal for a visit in April.
Do you have kids who grow their own fruits and vegetables? Do you agree with Mr. Ball's assessment? Tell us your stories!
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1 comment:
We grow food with our daughters. We ask them what they would like to grow and then eat. If they are part of the decision, and the tending, they then seem more willing to eat it. Just the other day, our 16 year old, came out with me to harvest the tatsoi for dinner. She said, "Isn't it great that we can walk out here, cut some stuff and then have it for dinner?" I could't agree more.
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