My ten year old has explained to me in her words the reason
kids do not like vegetables. She insists the majority of kids she knows is
being raised on a diet rich in artificially flavored fast food meat and sugar
laden snacks that come from a box. Once they taste and sometimes just smell
real vegetables they immediately demonstrate disdain using words like blech and
gross with extra syllables.
My daughter learned at a young age she would starve if she
didn’t eat the meals prepared for her that included many vegetables. Perhaps
she has acquired a taste for vegetables and likes most of them even weird varieties
like artichokes, mushrooms and cabbage.
There are various theories as to why kids do not like
vegetables. Kids have more taste buds than adults so maybe vegetables are
overwhelmingly flavorful to them. Kids do not like bitterness. This one puzzles
me because there are only a handful of bitter vegetables. My favorite has to be
the scientific research; yes scientists have researched this pressing issue and
have detected a gene that gives the carrier a heightened experience of
bitterness. They have named this remarkable gene TAS2R38. It’s not likely to be
easily recalled.
It’s back to bitterness. Kids that don’t like bitter foods can
easily avoid kale, broccoli and dandelion greens along with black coffee and
craft beer while still eating nutrient rich carrots, mushrooms and sweet
peppers which are technically fruit.
Getting kids in the garden helps them to gain a finer
appreciation for vegetables and fruits they might otherwise avoid. Asking kids
to remove sod or spread manure is not the way to get them interested in growing
food, however. Nor is asking them to turn compost or work amongst the bees acceptable.
Kids like to plant seeds and water the garden. They like to dig
holes that don’t always have a purpose. Kids especially like to harvest
vegetables and fruits from the garden.
Armed with properly fitting gloves and a bin or basket, kids
make great harvesting companions and can get to the low-growing peas, beans,
tomatoes and peppers virtually eliminating the need for us older folks to bend
over, something that becomes increasingly difficult with each growing season.
They can fit between rows and spot the splash of red in the strawberry plants. They
can find every last potato deep in the soil and meet many an earthworm along
the way.
Getting kids in the garden can often begin before the garden
is even growing. Now is a great time to share seed catalogs or make a trip to
the local garden center where seed packets are colorfully displayed.
Allowing kids to choose what they grow will make them much
more interested in eating the vegetables or fruits the plant produces. While
not as exciting as getting a new puppy, kids appreciate the time it takes to
nurture the plants, water the plants and protect them from high winds or an
unexpected frost.
There are no pizza seeds but there are seeds that will grow
the numerous toppings that can turn a junk food into a nutritious and delicious
meal. Just the same there are no chicken nugget seeds but there are plenty of
seeds that would make a complimentary side dish to a roasted chicken you bought
from one of many fantastic family farms in our region.