It's Garden Time! (a tasty harvest)

++  This is a great time of year for fresh fruits and vegetables.  Farmers' Markets are in full swing.  Gardeners are reaping the benefits of their labor.  It gives us fresh produce that's really fresh - at the peak of flavor.  This is your invitation to go out and take advantage of it.

 Once you get the goodies home, make them easy to grab - you might be surprised at how much your kids will eat just because it's handy.  The hardier items can be left in a bowl on the table - apples and radishes, for example.  Others can be left out for a day or so for a quick snack: cherry tomatoes come quickly to mind.  Many can be put in a bowl in the refrigerator, lightly covered (and easy to find) - tomatoes, bell peppers, grapes, berries, plums, peaches and nectarines, etc. 

 If you harvest more than you can use, you can preserve it or share it.  Aug. 16 is "sneak out and leave zucchini on your neighbor's porch night" for a reason!  With a little time and the right equipment, most fruits and vegetables can be canned.  Your local Cooperative Extension office can give you tips, processing times, etc., or you can look up the information on-line from the makers of canning jars.  To freeze for a week or two, most can simply be wrapped and frozen.  To save longer, many items need blanching (quick steaming) or other preparation.  You can get details on this from the same sources.

It's great food - try it!
 

Drinking Calories (soda)

++  A mom recently told me that her New Year's resolution was to keep soda pop out of her home so her kids wouldn't drink it so much.  Of course, that meant she was also drinking it a lot less.  Without changing anything else, she lost about 20 lbs. by Memorial Day.  A word to the wise. . .

Carrot Top

A mom brought two children to WIC clinic recently, a boy about 4 and a girl about 2 years old.  The boy had flaming red hair and some of it was sticking straight up.  The girl had brown hair pulled into cute little pigtails.  I asked the boy if anyone ever called him "carrot top."  He said, "That's silly.  The tops of carrots are green."  Mom chimed in and said that on the way to WIC, the boy told the girl, "Your hair is really wild.  Mine is handsome."