Understanding where food comes from -the journey ‘from farm to fork' - is an important part of helping kids build a good relationship with food and grow up enjoying a healthy, balanced diet.
Growing well
These days we're lucky enough to have access to fruit and veg all year round, whether it's strawberries at Christmas or asparagus on Bonfire Night. But the taste of seasonal, freshly picked vegetables is hard to beat - and they're even more delicious if you've grown them yourself.
Everyone's at it - from Michelle Obama who was pictured a few months ago, digging a vegetable patch in the White House lawn, to recession-hit householders across the UK who are discovering the joys of the good life. Even the Queen has given over a patch of garden at Buckingham Palace to vegetables. And getting kids to eat their greens can be a whole lot easier if they've been involved in growing them so this is a great time of year to introduce your family to the wonders of growing your own.
With the number of people on allotment waiting lists reaching the 100,000 mark, those with a garden are the lucky ones. But fruits, vegetables and herbs can be grown wherever there's light, warmth and water - pots on a windowsill or grow bags in a back yard can do just as well as a garden, as long as you choose the right plants.
Eating a diet rich in fruit and veg can lower the risk of heart disease and some cancers. Vanessa Hattersley, ASDA Nutritionist, says, ‘Most children eat less than half the amount of fruit and vegetables they should, so they can miss out on an assortment of important nutrients. Canned and frozen veggies all count towards your 5-a-day, but growing vegetables is a brilliant way for families to have fun, be outdoors and learn more about healthy food'.
Green fingers
So, if your experience of picking vegetables is limited to picking them off the shelf, how do you start to grow your own? Geoff Stokes of the National Society of Allotment and Leisure Gardeners (NSALG) advises beginners to stick with plants that can flourish in all sorts of environments. "Lettuces are ideal, because they just need water and very little care and they can be grown inside or outdoors. They come in all shapes, colours and sizes and the flavours are so different from the conventional Iceberg or flat leaf lettuce. Many varieties are ‘cut and come again' meaning you can cut off what you need and more leaves will grow".
Herbs are wonderful for adding fresh flavour to cooking and they're easy to grow. Basil (a classic Italian herb) loves sunlight, thyme (delicious with meat and very good in stews) grows well in containers and doesn't need much water, while coriander (great with spicy foods) likes a lot of light. Keep a pot of herbs on the kitchen windowsill and the scent will fill the room.
Most of us don't have a plot of land for growing our own food, but it's worth giving over a small patch of the garden to it, or buying pots for the kitchen to grow some lettuce. You might not cut your food bills by a lot, but you'll give your kids an opportunity to experience the thrill of pulling a lettuce from the ground, washing and eating it straight away, having planted it and watched it grow from a tiny seed. And that's got to be healthy.
To help your kids learn more about healthy eating and the journey from farm to fork, visit www.asda-thebinks.co.uk.
For more information about allotments in your area, visit www.nsalg.org.uk.
For practical advice on growing your own veg, visit www.eatseasonably.co.uk.