Eat More Veggies

Vegetables are a consistent and large part of the meals and snacks that I prepare at home.  This spring as I was getting excited about the prospect of growing my own backyard garden I realized that I only have a finite number of hours in a day and I don’t always want to make room for the time needed to grow everything that I want.

Finding a Farmer

Insert CSA – Community Supported Agriculture. This year, my family has invested in local farmer Will Bergmann‘s CSA garden.  Will’s farm grows a garden and shares the produce with their CSA investors, that’s me! Each week since June we have been receiving a tote full of fresh Manitoba grown fruit, veggies and herbs.

Veggies: Fun, Delicious & Rewarding

It’s been fun using all the rhubarb through project #usealltherhubarb:

The Canola Oil Pastry recipe is really neat.  You freeze the oil for a few hours so that it acts like a solid fat.  Rhubarb custard pie always reminds me of my Grandma.  She would make these pies every spring and I would walk over to her house after school every day in June until I found one waiting in her fridge to eat!

It’s been delicious getting creative with all the mint!

Chocolate Chip Cookies made with Mint Infused Canola Oil. Oh yes, I did! I used a huge bundle of mint that arrived in our @will_bergmann farm family #CSAgarden bin. #FarmToFood #LifeWithBoys #chocolatechipcookies #mintchocolate #CSA #eatseasonal #cookies #chocolate

A photo posted by Jennifer Dyck (@jeniferdyck) on Jul 13, 2015 at 5:09pm PDT

It was really easy infusing the canola oil into the mint and my favourite oil based chocolate chip cookie is Judy’s Chocolate Chip Cookies.  Judy is a fellow Home Economist, recipe developer and food stylist.  I always know if it’s a Judy recipe that it will work, be tasty and a repeat in my kitchen.

And it’s been rewarding watching my kids get excited about what’s going to arrive in the bin.

Fresh garden carrots. The kid almost vibrated when he pulled them out of our #CSAgarden box. Oh how I love a kid that gets excited about veggies! Thanks @will_bergmann family!! #FarmToFood #LifeWithBoys #HalfYourPlate #EatMoreVeggies #garden #CSA #carrots

A photo posted by Jennifer Dyck (@jeniferdyck) on Jul 9, 2015 at 7:02am PDT

It makes me feel so proud when my kids get excited about fresh, whole, healthy food.  I truly believe if you get them involved in food young, you will have them involved for life.

Make it simple and teach your toddler the names of all the foods in the produce section or get complicated and teach your pre-schooler knife skills (yes, I was that crazy).  Even the messiest of times have turned out to be rewarding and I take pride in teaching my kids the importance of learning to love good food.

My CSA adventure has saved time shopping so I can spend more time eating, planning and playing!

Always…Jenn