One More Reason to Grow.

A few years back, before I got started on my garden, I was watching Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution and was shocked by some of the things I saw. 

This was one of them:

I could not believe that these kids couldn't even recognize fresh vegetables.  I kept thinking about how my daughter at age 3 could spot the McDonald's Golden Arches from a mile down the street, but there's no massive advertising campaign to support whole, fresh, natural foods.  She still wouldn't know an okra pod if it bit her, but that's understandable since okra doesn't grow here, nor is it a part of the Northwest diet normally.

I'm really proud to say that after a few years of having the garden in place, my 4 year old son can recognize not just the vegetables but also the plants of peas, beans, squashes, onions, kale, Swiss chard, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, eggplant, cucmbers, tomatoes... so many things!  Admittedly he won't eat most of them, but his diet is expanding as he braves new things each year.  I even got him to eat peas the other day by explaining that they were like little balls of broccoli (his favorite veg).

My husband on the other hand still needs to work on it.  He asked me last night what the big green shrub next to the bench was, and I had to explain that it was mint, one of the easier to identify plants in the garden.  He'll get there.  But he grew up in a household that was dependent on canned veggies, TV dinners, and boxed macaroni.

I'm glad to know that with the garden and the changes in our diets and shopping habits my kids will grow up to understand how much work goes into good food, to know that food doesn't have to come in boxes and bags from the grocery store, and to respect quality food for what it is: healthy, filling, and delicious.