| There are two significant men in my life who | | | | much as they wanted on peas fresh from the |
| don't eat their vegetables. These are not my | | | | pod, tender beans, and sweet cherry tomatoes. |
| children. These are independent adults who, | | | | These were considered a treat. |
| presumably, could choose to eat nothing but ice | | | | Attack of the Killer Kohlrabi |
| cream if they wanted. They both make their own | | | | In addition to snacks, the garden provided a way |
| dietary choices every day. | | | | to introduce the children to such exotic fare as |
| Unfortunately for them, most of these choices do | | | | Swiss chard, a versatile cross between spinach |
| not include vegetables. They eat lots of meat. I, | | | | and celery, orange tomatoes, a sweeter and less |
| personally, have nothing against meat. They eat | | | | acidic choice for sandwiches and salads, a wide |
| lots of carbs. Pasta, potatoes, bread. All these are | | | | variety of lettuces, before such colorful mixes |
| fine in moderation for most people. | | | | were popular in the grocery store, and kohlrabi, |
| But, left to their own devices, very few | | | | the vegetable from outer space. |
| vegetables pass the lips of these two men. It's | | | | While the freshness and taste of home-grown |
| not that they don't know that we all need to get | | | | vegetables is enough, in itself, to convince anyone |
| our veggies every day. It's just that they have | | | | of their value, children also benefit from working in |
| other things that distract and take priority. Like | | | | a backyard garden. It is a wonderful learning |
| meat. And carbs. | | | | experience for kids to see where their food |
| Learning to Love Vegetables | | | | comes from. If they choose their own seeds or |
| How can you persuade someone who has | | | | plants, and dig in the dirt themselves to plant |
| maintained a lifelong distrust or indifference | | | | them, they can see and appreciate the amount of |
| toward vegetables that these variously colored, | | | | work that it takes to produce the food we eat |
| sometimes unappealingly-flavored foods are | | | | every day. |
| actually worth eating? | | | | The Wily Mom's Secret Reason for Gardening |
| I do have a suggestion to help encourage the love | | | | All of my, now grownup, children eat their |
| of vegetables in your children so that they don't | | | | vegetables. I credit this to their early exposure to |
| end up as veggie-haters. Grow your own! | | | | the hot off the vine, fresh from the soil, |
| We had a large backyard garden when the | | | | home-grown veggies in their childhood backyard. |
| children were young. It was packed with all the | | | | By experiencing vegetables at their very best, |
| usual suspects: peas, beans, tomatoes, etc. The | | | | my children learned to love them. |
| kids never lacked for snacks during the growing | | | | What to do about the grownups who aren't big |
| season. They had my permission to snack as | | | | veggie fans? We just need to plant more gardens! |