Getting Your Kids To Eat and Cook Seasonal Fruit and Vegetables
There are so many benefits to getting kids cooking and really understanding where their food comes from and how it grows.
Young children are especially curious. The Knowledge and Understanding of the World is a key component of the UK schools Early Years Curriculum and encourages the exploration of the key concepts such as the weather, the seasons, and what we eat.
Your kids will be fascinated to learn and discover which vegetables grow in the soil, like potatoes and carrots and which grow above ground like lettuces. We take for granted that blackberries grow on bushes and grapes on vines, but to children these are real discoveries. And all the better if you can get hands-on with fruit picking and tasting!
These days in most supermarkets all fruits and vegetables are available all year round.
However, seasonal fruits and vegetables are best for the following reasons; the three 'P's:
Pocket - eating seasonably is proven to be cheaper, and the produce is in abundance.
Planet - local seasonable produce has travelled less distance. Less air miles means less environmental impact on the planet
Palate - seasonal fruit and vegetable are fresher and quite simply just taste better.
To get inspired to get kids cooking and eating seasonably, take a look below at our seasonal guide to when which fruits and vegetables are at their best:
Spring (March to May)
Spring greens, cauliflower and cabbage are leafy and succulent at this time of year. British asparagus season is usually in April/May and not to be missed. Fruits on offer include rhubarb - perfect stewed in a pie or a crumble.
Summer (June to August)
This is the season for soft fruits and delicious berries. Strawberries are the first to grow from June, followed by cherries in July and then raspberries and plums. Create fresh salads with seasonal cucumbers and lettuces. Peas and broad beans are also at their peak during the summer months.
Autumn (August to November)
Autumn brings the apple harvest, a perfect accompaniment to the blackberries that are also at their best in August and September. Courgettes are plentiful, as are runner beans and fresh corn on the cob - absolutely delicious with butter and salt.
Winter (November to February)
Potato main crops are harvested in November, and the accompanying vegetables of carrots, kale, brussel sprouts and leeks are great side dishes for a winter warming roast dinner.
Even if you are not able to grow your own fruits and vegetables in your garden or allotment, a trip to a local fruit-picking farm is a real treat. Children will love selecting and then picking the fruits and vegetables that they can then go on cook at home. The cost of the food and the entertainment is all rolled into one!
Once children have begun to read it is useful to look together on the packaging of fruits and vegetables to find out where it was grown. You can then look up the countries on a map or in an atlas to calculate the food miles. This will give them a sense of the distances travelled and the real benefits of buying, cooking and eating local and seasonal fruits and vegetables.
Young children are especially curious. The Knowledge and Understanding of the World is a key component of the UK schools Early Years Curriculum and encourages the exploration of the key concepts such as the weather, the seasons, and what we eat.
Your kids will be fascinated to learn and discover which vegetables grow in the soil, like potatoes and carrots and which grow above ground like lettuces. We take for granted that blackberries grow on bushes and grapes on vines, but to children these are real discoveries. And all the better if you can get hands-on with fruit picking and tasting!
These days in most supermarkets all fruits and vegetables are available all year round.
However, seasonal fruits and vegetables are best for the following reasons; the three 'P's:
Pocket - eating seasonably is proven to be cheaper, and the produce is in abundance.
Planet - local seasonable produce has travelled less distance. Less air miles means less environmental impact on the planet
Palate - seasonal fruit and vegetable are fresher and quite simply just taste better.
To get inspired to get kids cooking and eating seasonably, take a look below at our seasonal guide to when which fruits and vegetables are at their best:
Spring (March to May)
Spring greens, cauliflower and cabbage are leafy and succulent at this time of year. British asparagus season is usually in April/May and not to be missed. Fruits on offer include rhubarb - perfect stewed in a pie or a crumble.
Summer (June to August)
This is the season for soft fruits and delicious berries. Strawberries are the first to grow from June, followed by cherries in July and then raspberries and plums. Create fresh salads with seasonal cucumbers and lettuces. Peas and broad beans are also at their peak during the summer months.
Autumn (August to November)
Autumn brings the apple harvest, a perfect accompaniment to the blackberries that are also at their best in August and September. Courgettes are plentiful, as are runner beans and fresh corn on the cob - absolutely delicious with butter and salt.
Winter (November to February)
Potato main crops are harvested in November, and the accompanying vegetables of carrots, kale, brussel sprouts and leeks are great side dishes for a winter warming roast dinner.
Even if you are not able to grow your own fruits and vegetables in your garden or allotment, a trip to a local fruit-picking farm is a real treat. Children will love selecting and then picking the fruits and vegetables that they can then go on cook at home. The cost of the food and the entertainment is all rolled into one!
Once children have begun to read it is useful to look together on the packaging of fruits and vegetables to find out where it was grown. You can then look up the countries on a map or in an atlas to calculate the food miles. This will give them a sense of the distances travelled and the real benefits of buying, cooking and eating local and seasonal fruits and vegetables.