|
|
You are here: main
 articles
nutrition&health |
Farmers' Markets: Fun for the Family
by Rebekka Martin
Sandy Procter says a farmers' market is a place for healthy foods and healthy families.
"Start early by helping your child develop a love for the marvelous flavor of fresh
fruits and vegetables, and spend some family time developing their selection skills," said
Procter, a K-State Research and Extension specialist with the Expanded Food & Nutrition Education Program.
"I'm not saying that there will never be room for a Twinkie or a donut, but help your child
understand that these 'sometimes' foods are exceptions to the rule, [which is that] crisp,
juicy fruits and vegetables are excellent snack foods."
Procter said markets provide an opportunity for parents to teach their kids how to choose
ripe, tasty foods. She said asking children's opinion about food choices reinforces the food
lesson and lets them know their opinions matter.
In addition, Procter said studies show that children involved in shopping for and selecting
foods are more likely to accept and eat those foods.
Emily Mark, a K-State Research and Extension family and consumer sciences specialist, said
parents can even let their children spend their own money to buy something at the market
"They learn how to select the tomato and what is a quality tomato, but they also learn to
budget their money," Mark said.
Mark agreed with Procter that children may be more willing to try a new food they've shopped
for. "If I pay for it, I'm more likely to eat it," she said.
Mark said children can also practice kindness by buying something like fresh flowers for another
person or learn responsibility by tending bedded plants or contributing a vegetable toward the
family's dinner salad, which they can help prepare.
Farmers' markets also offer educational opportunities, according to Mark.
Children can see plants for sale at one stand and see fruit from the same type of plant at another
booth at the market, which helps them understand where food comes from.
Children and parents can also talk with the farmers who grow the foods, flowers and other products
for sale.
"They can see people that grow the food," said Georgia Paulsen, secretary of the Topeka Downtown
Farmers' Market.
Paulsen added that the Topeka market has educational programs for children. At the end of the summer,
there is a contest to judge products the children have grown.
For parents, "the time spent with your child will create lasting memories, and the lessons learned will
remain as well," Procter said.
Information about farmers' markets in Kansas, including times and locations, is available on-line at
www.oznet.ksu.edu/pr_kfmd/.
Tips for Selecting, Preparing Foods at the Farmers' Market
Mary Meck Higgins, a nutrition educator at Kansas State University, has the following
suggestions for selecting and preparing fresh foods at the farmers' market:
- Avoid tasting food that has not been washed or that has been displayed in unclean ways. Use cool running water to wash fruits and vegetables before eating or adding them to a recipe.
- Look for fresh produce that is free of dents and bruises.
- Buy only what you can use before it spoils. Then eat the ripest fruits and vegetables first.
- Avoid buying food floating in melted ice.
- For difficult-to-wash foods, choose items that have been covered and protected prior to sale.
- Choose pre-wrapped home-baked items, rather than foods cut at open- air markets.
- Avoid buying juices that have not been pasteurized.
- Wash foods that come in contact with the ground during the growing process, such as melons or squash, before putting them in the refrigerator. Re-wash melons and other fresh produce before slicing, in order to prevent microorganisms that may be present on the skin from being transferred to the edible portion of the fruit.
|
K-State Research and Extension is a short name for the Kansas State University Agricultural Experiment Station
and Cooperative Extension Service, a program designed to generate and distribute useful knowledge for the
well-being of Kansans. Supported by county, state, federal and private funds, the program has county Extension
offices, experiment fields, area Extension offices and regional research centers statewide. Its headquarters is
on the K-State campus, Manhattan.
Source: Rebekka Martin, Communications Assistant
rmartin@oznet.ksu.edu
Additional Information:
Mary Meck Higgins is at 785-532-1671
Jana Beckman is at 785-532-1440
Sandy Procter is at 785-532-1675
Emily Mark is available at 785-532-2273
|
|
|
|
