The benefits of going back to basics and picking our own food.
Goodnight. Love you. See you in the morning.
Did you order some strawberries in the shop?
Yep.
Did you get some banana yoghurt pouches?
Yep.
And what about some raisins?
Yes, its all arriving tonight, you can have them in the morning.
Goodnight.
Love you!
Because of the busy lives we lead my kids rarely get to go to the supermarket anymore. They go to sleep with the fridge empty, and like magic, it’s full by the time they wake up in the morning. Now of course, going to the supermarket in itself doesn’t teach the kids where their food comes from but taking that step completely out of the equation means they’re yet another step removed from understanding where what they eat actually originates and how it ends up on their plates. That’s why, when June comes around, I love taking the boys to a farm so that they can pick their own fruit and veg.
And here's why…
It’s a fun, outdoor group activity
As you know I’m all about getting us outdoors and active as a family and this is such a good day out. It’s fun and interactive, it requires team work (picking and carrying), and lets not forget the thigh muscles getting a good old workout as we squat to get that next bit of spinach out of the soil.
It’s educational
Of course it’s educational but it’s not explicitly teaching and that’s the best form of education in our house - something that stimulates the kids to ask lots of questions as opposed to us just telling them everything whilst they run off to play with their toys. Not only does it let them experience first hand how food is grown, but it also gets them asking questions about the people involved in planting the food and the “supply chain” from the farm to our table. This is amazing to get them appreciating all the people and effort involved in enabling us to eat whatever we wish for every single day.
It’s healthier for all of us
Total vitamin C has been shown to be higher when the tomato is picked ripe from the vine - Harvard Medical School Center for Health and the Global Environment
And there are many more stats where that came from. Enough said!
It inspires them to want to grow their own
This one might actually become a necessity after Brexit ;) Kidding aside, this again is so great for the whole family, not just because there are so many benefits of gardening for all of us (check out my blog post on the benefits of gardening) but also because this actually gives the kids something to own, care for, look after, in order for them to see the results they are looking for. This is great for teaching kids perseverance and independence.
They enjoy cooking with the ingredients they’ve picked
When kids can get involved around the house they feel empowered and I find that they play up less too. So when the fruit picking is over and we head home, they absolutely love to get straight in the kitchen to turn their picked produce into an exciting meal they can then devour. I find they’re slightly less interested in the savoury dishes filled with spinach J and more interested in making some deserts instead.
For some healthy, tasty recipe inspiration follow @frommylittlekitchen on instagram or click here for Melanie Lionello’s website jam packed full of yummy recipes.
We’re doing our bit for the environment
Just a quick check in the fridge tells me that our tomatoes have come from Morocco, the pepper from The Netherlands, the green beans are from Kenya and the sweetcorn is from the USA. That’s one big footprint! Plus the plastic used to package all this fruit and veg in addition to the energy used to get the food delivered right to our door each week. All in all some pretty compelling reasons for us all to get picking and growing our own as much as we possibly can.
In 2015, imports of fruits to the UK were valued at £3.1 billion; imports of fresh vegetables (excluding potatoes) at £2.1 billion - Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB)
So what are you waiting for? The weather is better, the fruit and veg are now ready to be picked all you need to do is click on this link and find your nearest pick your own farms.
Enjoy!
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