Potato Harvest

Mega is 4 years old 

Lesson: Things you grow are yummy!

Both Mega and Zilla have the oppertunity to grow a variety of foods. Some we grow at home, some they grow at school. One of the things that attracted us to Mega's school was their fields and little orchard. We live in an urban area where even container gardening can be tricky due to the lack of space and the weather. We want to kids to have the chance to get dirty, plant something and watch it grow, taste food that is freshly picked. 

This time of year the potatoes are ripe. However, it is also the end of rainy season so getting into the field to harvest them without having a class full of muddy children can be a bit tricky. The harvest day had to be moved a couple of times due to the weather but the kids finally got the chance to dig out their potatoes. 

Each child brought home 6-7 good sized spuds. Mega wanted to eat them right away so Zilla helped her scrub them and I helped cook them. They requested baked potatoes with butter, homemade french fries (baked, not fried) and potato chips (also baked, not fried). 

One thing that I've found interesting is that the kids are more likely to eat something they grow at school even if it is something they don't generally care for. Mega is not a huge fan of potatoes but she declared the school ones to be delicious. Zilla likes fries and chips but this time was the first time he finished a baked potato on his own. In the past the same thing has happened with sweet potato and daikon. Perhaps the work you put into caring for a food makes you want to eat it?

Some of the other foods that they grow at school are corn, cherries, mikan, eggplant, peppers and tomatoes. In fact, Zilla has a mini tomato plant to care for over the summer. He and Mega enjoy watering it and checking for a ripe snack each day!