The Farmers Market
A fun-filled, family field trip for this time of year is the farmers market. A bountiful harvest of tomatoes, zucchini, and green beans, among other homegrown delicacies, is a delight for the senses. Roaming the stalls in the warm autumn sunshine, filling a basket with jars of honey, and munching on just picked apples are fabulous ways to usher in the new season.
Make it a family adventure. Not only can children take part in choosing what’s for dinner, they can meet the farmers who actually grow the food they eat. This is particularly good for kids who don’t have a backyard vegetable patch or access to a city garden.
Here are a few suggestions to make the farmers market enjoyable for you and your children.
• Before you leave home, check the weather. Toss an umbrella in your bag just in case. Pull up the website for the market to get directions and hours of operation. Special events are often listed too.
• Give kids a few dollars to spend and a basket or bag to carry their purchases.
• Encourage your youngsters to pick out fruits or vegetables that are not familiar. Kohlrabi or parsnips might just end up being a favorite!
• Point out how wonderful God is to have created such a wide variety of food to eat.
• With little ones, identify colors and shapes. Count tomatoes on the vine or baskets of potatoes. Older kids can manage their money, paying for purchases or weighing items and calculating the price.
• If offered, accept samples. Vendors like to entice buyers with a taste. (Keep a small bottle of hand sanitizer or wipes in your own bag for sticky hands.)
• Plan on having lunch at the market. Try a new sandwich or pizza with interesting toppings.
• Pick out pumpkins, mums, and corn stalks for your front porch. Let your children do the decorating when you arrive home.
Grab a basket, load up the kids, and head out to your local farmers market. It’s a great way to spend an autumn afternoon!
Then God said, “Let the land produce vegetation:
seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it,
according to their various kinds.” And it was so.
The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed according to their kinds
and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds.
And God saw that it was good.
Genesis 1:11-12
© 2012 Becky Danielson. All rights reserved.
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