Bush Tucker – Warrigal Greens

Warrigal green quiche
What better way to celebrate National Reconciliation Week than with a popular bush tucker plant and recipe.
Back when I was in school, we were taught that Australian history began when Captain Cook “discovered” Australia.  And celebrations of Indigenous culture were almost non-existent. Thank goodness things have changed!
Nowadays, we have a Welcome to Country ceremony at most official functions. Children are immersed in Indigenous culture from their pre-school days.  And at school, Australian history begins long before 1770.
Bush tucker is becoming increasing popular and many of the plants are super easy for kids to grow. In this blog, we will highlight a bush tucker plant that you will probably have seen growing wild and thought it was just a weed. Continue reading

Top Tips for Encouraging Your Child to Eat More Vegies

 

growing cabbage
Growing Cabbage
There is nothing more satisfying or heart-warming than discovering your child in the vegie patch munching enthusiastically on something fresh, super healthy and delicious (unless of course it’s your prize winning crop of strawberries that you were saving for the top of your Sunday pav!)
Current research clearly shows the importance of children being involved with what they’re growing.  My children seem to be about 400% more likely to eat vegies they have grown themselves! Continue reading

Delicious Strawberry Jam

Strawberry jam recipe
Strawberry season is upon us. Fresh strawberries are the epitome of kids and summer gardening for me. We love growing them in our garden and I must admit that they rarely make it inside. If however your kids do happen to leave some strawberries available this is a great jam recipe they will enjoy making with a little adult supervision. Continue reading

Easy, Kid-friendly Zucchini Pizza

This easy kid-friendly pizza helps use up those zucchinis that are STILL growing in your garden.
This easy kid-friendly pizza helps use up those zucchinis that are STILL growing in your garden.
Are you looking for kid-friendly ways to use up those zucchinis that keep growing in your garden? If so, why not add it to a pizza? We still have an abundance of zucchinis and today we decided to try them on pizza. The result was delicious. Continue reading

Peach Zucchini Bread

peach and zucchini bread, choc zucchini muffins and peach smoothie
Lunch is served – peach and zucchini bread, choc zucchini muffins and a peach smoothie.
Like many people at this time of year we have bumper crops of zucchinis and peaches growing in our garden. Today the kids and I headed outside and harvested yet another bucketful and decided to find something new to bake with them. I figured there must be a recipe out there that combined both zucchinis and peaches and sure enough there was! After a quick internet search I found a recipe for Peach Zucchini Bread so we thought we’d give it a go. Continue reading

Roasted Herb Potatoes for Kids

Herbed potatoes for Kids
Your kids will devour these herbed potatoes - especially if they make them themselves.
Last year the preps, year 1 students and I planted potatoes in the school garden. We planted a variety including some very cool purple potatoes which the kids were very intrigued by. After school resumed this year the students were eager to head out into the garden to dig up our potatoes and see how many had grown. We ended up with enough potatoes to make two large batches of roasted herb potatoes.
This is the simple, yet delicious, recipe that we used: Continue reading

Guest Post: Silverbeet and Feta Cheese Rolls for Kids

Silverbeet and Feta Rolls
Silverbeet is a great vegie for kids to cook with
I am thrilled to share with you today a fantastic guest recipe post by Kay Richardson from The Children’s Food Education Foundation (CFEF). The Foundation aims to improve the health outcomes of marginalised children and young people.  Using food as a vehicle for social innovation and enterprise, their programs encourage healthy eating and address healthier living barriers like social exclusion, lack of literacy and independent living skills.  The Foundation collaborates with others to achieve successful long-term outcomes for children and young people experiencing disadvantage, chronic illness, disabilities, mental disorders, and those who care for themselves or others.

Silverbeet and Feta Cheese Rolls – makes lots

This is a really tasty and easy recipe to use up silverbeet grown in your garden. Unless you are having a party, don’t cook and eat them all at once because, once the rolls are made, they can be frozen. Remember to ask a grown-up to be your assistant and help read the recipe plus do all the things that might be tricky or dangerous for you to do on your own. Continue reading

Lazy Pumpkin Soup

A super easy delicious pumpkin soup
A super easy delicious pumpkin soup the kids will love
If the kids have been growing pumpkins in the garden this summer here is a fantastically easy and delicious pumpkin soup recipe they can help make. The sweetness of the pumpkin and coconut milk makes it particularly popular with kids and it is likely they’ll be back for seconds. I call it Lazy Pumpkin Soup as virtually everything is thrown in the slow cooker and then left to bubble away giving you and your little green thumbs plenty of time to head outside for some gardening fun. Continue reading

Edible Flowers for Kids

marigolds, sunflower seeds and lavendar are great in salads
Marigolds, lavendar, sunflower seeds and fuchsias make colourful additions to salads
Kids love the thought of being able to eat flowers and there are some great varieties that can be grown in any garden. Edible flowers are a wonderful way to add colour to meals and can make a salad more appealing to kids. Many edible flowers are fantastic for attracting beneficial insects and repelling those that are not so welcome so growing them is not only great for your kid’s dinner plate but good for the garden too. Continue reading