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Family Friendly Farm Market!
Taking your kids to the Farm Market can be a fun outing — but that’s not all. It can also be a fabulous learning experience for them. Here’s how.
Rype & Readi always has a great variety of fruits, vegetables and animals which can always lead to a fun and simple lesson about the importance of what we eat. You can sneak these lessons in when your kids are least expecting it. The Farm Market is a great place to teach about many, many things. Here are a few lessons your kids can take home.
1. What local food is
Understanding what local food is gives kids a sense of appreciation for their meals, and shopping at Rype & Readi can make this concept a little more concrete. "By asking the farmers about their farm, they will understand that food is grown local to where they live. As a parent, you can share with them the importance of eating locally-grown foods to support local community, as well as to reduce environmental impact by purchasing foods that require less gas mileage to get from production to consumption site.
2. What goes into making a meal
How does that food get on the table? Eating isn't a matter of microwaving something or boiling it. Food goes from ingredient to recipe to table. Kids can learn more about that process thanks to a Farm Market lesson. A great way to make your trip to Rype & Readi a learning experience is by making it a family affair. Walk through the market and select ingredients for preparing a meal together.
3. What different types of farming mean
There are quite a few adults who don't understand how organic and conventional farming differ, but you and your kids can learn first hand. If you point out which foods offered are organic, it will spur a conversation about the differences between organic and conventional farming and also turn the conversation to the many different ways farmers treat their crops and can even relate to how to treat the things and/or people they love.
4. The seasons of foods
Strawberries in January? That's not natural... and your kids can learn this fun fact if you teach them about seasonality. When you visit our farm market you will see that the availability of certain foods varies at certain times of year, rather than all foods being available at all times (like in a supermarket). They can ask the farmers questions about why foods grow better at certain times of year (due to weather and growing conditions).
5. How to identify fruits and veggies
I'll never forget seeing an episode of Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution show and seeing kids not being able to identify raw veggies. Don't let that happen to your kids. The simple act of learning the names of all the fruits and vegetables can be very powerful. If you don't know what to call it, how likely is it you will eat it? My kids learned this week at Rype & Readi what Romanesco is, what it looks like, where it grows and what it tastes like. Not their favorite, but at least they tried it and are open to trying it again because it looks like an alien; which of course that makes it cool.
This month's bounty:
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HARVEST:
Yellow Cherry Tomatoes. These tasty little treats can be tossed into a salad or you can just eat them as a snack on their own. These little "golden nuggets" are a great and healthy treat!
ANIMAL GOSSIP:
As you may have heard, our family is growing everyday and we continue to enjoy watching all the little ones grow. Early this week Lillie took our little ducklings to the pond for their first official swim. As she was getting ready to return to the Farm Market she noticed that she was not alone. These little guys came chasing after her as they quacked "don't leave without us!" How sweet is that?!?
See you this week!
Locally yours,
Rype and Readi Farm Market |
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