Good Eats

I stopped by the local farmers market a couple of days ago. It was much smaller than the one I used to go to, but you get a sense of being healthy just by showing up to one of these things. Most of the produce for sale at this point consisted of the usual squash, tomatoes, green beans, spuds (or "taters" as they are known in these parts), peppers, and various home-canned goods. I'm determined to teach my kids a bit about where their food comes from, as well as get them on board with smart food choices now as opposed to later. When Zeke was about 2, if anyone asked him where the chicken on his plate came from, he'd say, "From the store." Now he will explain that the chicken once walked around on a farm and can give you a couple of ways to effectively decapitate said chicken before prepping it for use in the kitchen. That was actually more detail than I was going for, but at least he gets the idea.

This particular trip to the farmers market yielded some 3-1/2 pounds or so of fresh green beans. I must have forgotten about the part that involved washing and snapping the little buggers, which is what I spent a good bit of time working on this evening. I felt good, however, when spooning some of those green beans onto Zeke's dinner plate tonight and watching him eat every bit of it with little protest. He's one of the few preschoolers I know (granted I don't know many) who actually enjoys eating vegetables and salads. Really it comes down to how we the parents approach healthy eating and by setting good examples for ourselves.

I'm sure I'll be back by that farmers market a few more times this summer. I'm patiently awaiting okra season and all the wonderful fruits of the summer months. In the mean time, we will have to settle for some of the veggie selections in our grocery store's freezer department. Looks like we'll have to make a point about planting our garden again next year, something we let slip by this year. We did well with our bread and butter pickled zucchini and squash last year, but this time I'd like to try to make chow chow or red pepper jelly. Perhaps I may even get the kiddos involved!