Wednesday, September 18, 2013 Starkville Daily News Page B-3

Taste

AJ Richey, Torian Knox, Isabel McLemore, Maddie Butler and Anna Wyatt Ford work in Sudduths SEEDS garden. (Photo by Susan Ford)

Fresh Start program helps kids eat healthier

If you have read this column before, you know that my kids are the absolute worst eaters on the planet. Its such a waste since Im a pretty good cook, but they have very Susan Ford little variety in their appetite, especially Food Columnist vegetables. I really wish I could attach a video that Bill made of my oldest when we decided to make her try one of the the two vegetables on her plate. Lets just say that it wasnt a shining parental moment, but it is good for a laugh. Experts say to present a vegetable a certain number of times and the children are suppose to magically try it. I have had no luck with that method either. Since both kids have the same aversion, Im pretty sure it is the environment that is at fault. I found three women who excel where I am deficient to get some tips, Isabel McLemore, Amanda Dahl and Jenn Gregory. We lucked out with our daughter being placed in Isabel McLemores kindergarten class. Isabel has a SEEDS garden at the Sudduth school. You may have heard of her husband, Farmer Sam. Isabel plants vegetables and flowers in the garden. The garden project teaches them where food comes from, in addition to sorting and other lessons.I asked Isabel about kale, because I have such a hard time knowing what to do with it. Everybody has heard that kale is the hot new vegetable, and all of the nutritional benefits to adding it to your diet, but I cant get past the texture. Isabel suggested kale chips, and admitted that Sam is the kale chip maker in their family. She shared the recipe that they use. Isabel said, Kale chips are easy and can be changed in a variety of ways. She also said, I also have a friend who roasts carrots with olive oil and brown sugar and her girls eat them and they dont usually touch vegetables! All foodies can talk about these days is farm to table. People want to know where our food comes from and to support local farmers. What I had not known until recently is that Emerson family school has one of the only Farm to Preschool programs in the state called Fresh Start. I talked to Jenn Gregory, the PTO president, and Amanda Dahl, the coordinator for Fresh Start at Emerson Family School, to find out more about it. Jenn explained how the program began. The Fresh Start program began in 2011 by a group of parents who were concerned about the increasing number of overweight children in the state and the eating habits of their children. The program is funded through grants, contributions from community partners and through fundraising efforts. The program is run strictly by volunteers (parents and Mississippi State University students through Maroon Volunteer Center and Volunteer Starkville). Amanda told me how the program works. She said, Every Friday, the children engage in hands-on learning activities both in the garden and in the classrooms during Fresh Start Friday activities. Each Friday, we cover a different lesson (life cycle of the plants, the role of insects, composting, food groups/nutrition, etc.) in the classroom then they carry over the lesson in the garden by identifying parts of the plants, searching for bugs, and harvesting. They will try almost anything that comes from the garden!! They were eating turnips faster than I could get them peeled and carrots faster than we could get them washed! How awesome it that? We loved the

Sims Gregory eats freshly washed and harvested lettuce from the Emerson Fresh Start garden. (Photo by Susan Ford)

McLemore Kale Chips

Ingredients: kale olive oil salt and pepper

Emerson Broccoli Bites

Ingredients: 2 c. fresh, steamed broccoli OR 16 oz. package of frozen, chopped broccoli, thawed and drained of liquid 1 c. grated cheese of your choice (cheddar, mozzarella or parmesan work well) 3 eggs 1 c. breadcrumbs seasoned with pepper, garlic powder, and Italian seasonings OR 1c. Italian seasoned breadcrumbs

Directions: Preheat oven to 400. Wash kale thoroughly. Tear or cut kale into bite size pieces. Put them on a cookie rack or cooling rack of a cookie sheet. Brush with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Put them in Directions: the oven for 9-10 minutes. Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl (perfect for little hands to help!) Variations: With your hands, form small patties and Baste them with BBQ sauce, or sprinkle lay on parchment lined baking sheet. with cinnamon and sugar. Bake at 375 degrees for 25 minutes, preschool that we picked, but I am think- turning after the first 15 minutes. ing my daughters would have benefited Cool and enjoy! from being at Emerson. Amanda also said, I think the Fresh Start program is Notes: so important because it teaches children This is a great recipe for serving broccoli about the importance of eating healthy and in a new way. where their food comes from at the most You could also add other shredded vegcritical phase: when they are first develop- etables, like carrots or zucchini. ing food preferences! The sooner they develop healthy habits, the better! Educating way. Make trying new foods fun and exparents on nutrition is another important citing for the child, but never force them to try something or clean their plates. Pair aspect of the program. Amanda is not only the coordinator for an unfamiliar food with one they like alFresh Start, but she is also a registered di- ready. Be a positive role model by playetitian. I asked her for some tips to getting ing up how good the new food tastes and kids to try new vegetables. Especially that teaching them the importance of eating expert tip to present a vegetable a certain healthy in age appropriate terms. Avoid number of times and the child will try it. making negative faces or comments about She said Yes, research shows it can take new foods...just because you may not like up to 10 exposures to a new food before a a food, doesnt mean your child doesnt! child may accept it. As a parent or caregiv- Be patient and persistent! She also gave er, dont get discouraged if he/she doesnt me a yummy broccoli bite recipe that can like a food at first. Try presenting the food even please a finicky 5-year-old. They say in a different way next time: children of- it takes a village to raise a child, and with ten prefer the crunch of vegetables as op- these ladies around, I like the one we live posed to the mushy texture which happens in! Maybe there is hope for the Ford girls when we boil vegetables the southern after all.