Kids & Company Blog

Farm to Fork

Eating local and in season can have tremendous benefits to the nutrition of our food, and can be a great activity for the family. You may be surprised at the large variety of fruits and vegetables that can be grown just around the corner from where you live! There are so many delicious fruits and vegetables coming into season in June that are great to feature in your summer meals.

Eating locally grown fruits and vegetables helps to create a food system that is ecologically and economically sustainable. You can reap the health benefits of eating seasonal food while also supporting the local food economy! When produce is shipped over far distances, it can lose nutrients and flavours over time. Additionally, when food travels across borders to get to your plate, it must be picked before its peak condition in order to stay fresh. When you eat local, you can ensure that your produce was picked and more importantly eaten at its most delicious and nutritious point!

Discovering locally grown foods that are in season in your area can be a great activity for your family. Many local farmer's markets and farms just outside of cities offer families an opportunity to come and pick their own fruits and veggies! Your kids will learn all about where their favourite foods come from, reinforcing concepts from our Kidco Kitchen Nutrition Curriculum, and they will have lots of fun snacking on fresh fruits and vegetables! Another way to practice eating locally is to grow your own produce! You can pick up an assortment of seeds for a very low price and get your little ones involved in growing and picking fruits and vegetables from your own backyard. 

Not to worry if you don’t have a backyard and want to put your green thumb to good use, many vegetables lend themselves well to container gardening. Veggies that take up little space, such as carrots, radishes and lettuce, or crops that bear fruits over a long period of time, such as tomatoes and peppers, are perfect for container vegetable gardens. All you need is water, sunshine and some patience to harvest your bounty.

Now that you know all of the amazing benefits of eating locally, we hope you will visit your local farmer's market and grab some fresh and delicious produce! In June, some fruits and veggies that are in season include beets, asparagus, peas, rhubarb, lettuce, beans and strawberries. There are plenty of recipe options that your family will love but we suggest making our Kidco Kitchen Green Goddess Dip which uses delicious, sweet green peas!

Another awesome seasonal dish is our Kidco Kitchen Berrylicious Crisp (a huge hit at our centres!) which contains strawberries, raspberries and blueberries and makes for a lovely summer dessert!

Getting your little ones involved in food at a young age will help them develop their food literacy. Enjoy eating local and taste the benefits of freshly grown produce!

Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter @kidcochildcare and on Instagram @cheflisaruscica!

Cheers,

Chef Lisa Ruscica
Chief Food Ambassador

Posted on: Wednesday June 7th, 2017

Posted by: Lisa Ruscica