Top 5 Kid-Friendly Veggies to Grab While They’re Local

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We asked some Lakewinds parents about favorite veggies that kids will actually eat. Watch for these veggies to appear in stores as they come into season. We love teaching kids about local produce, why it isn’t always available, the farmers who grow safe food for us, and how eating veggies can be fun!

 

Top 5 Kid-Friendly Veggies

Cucumbers

The season for local cucumbers starts in June and goes through July — just in time to grab some in stores! Check the bottom of the signs when you shop to see which local farm your veggies come from. We usually buy from Featherstone Farm, Driftless Organics Farm, Twin Organics, and even Living Water Gardens hydroponically grown cucumbers. Cucumber slices go great with this Good For You Ranch recipe:

2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons garlic powder

3 Tablespoons onion powder

2 teaspoons pepper

2 teaspoons sugar

1 teaspoon paprika

2 teaspoons dried parsley

Shake all ingredients in a jar and store in the pantry as a dry mix. To make a dip, add 1 tablespoon of mix to 1 cup mayonnaise and 1 cup sour cream or yogurt. For Ranch dressing, simply thin with buttermilk to desired pouring consistency.

 

Snap or Snow Peas

These are sweet, crunchy and super portable for little hands and small jars of dips. Take a mini 2-3 inch tall jar and add a high-fat dip (like this Green Goddess Dressing) or savory Greek yogurt to the bottom of the jar, and have kids help you stick pea pods in standing upright. Cap it and take it to go for a snack that leaves kids feeling full longer and hands clean. Look for snap and snow peas in stores now!

 

Organic Red Bell Peppers

Our peppers usually come from Seeds Farm, Twin Organics, or Featherstone Farms. Red peppers are slightly sweeter than their green pepper counterparts and we love the pop of color added to salads or veggie trays, or eaten alone. For a pretty appetizer, just add goat cheese (or another soft cheese) mixed with chives to a frosting piping bag and let kids “frost” bite sized red pepper pieces.

Another kid favorite is a hummus octopus: cut the pepper in half and place one half (cored) into a small plate of hummus. Slice the other half into small “tentacle” pieces and have them sprouting out of the dish (curved ends facing up). Black olive slice eyes complete this sea-dwelling, delicious critter. You can find red peppers in stores during July and August.

 

Corn on the Cob

Obviously! It’s so fun to get hands-on with food and have butter dripping down your chin. Best eaten outside and straight from Featherstone and Harmony Valley farms. For added zest, brush with butter and add lime juice with chile powder or paprika sprinkled on.

 

Carrots

Local carrots may journey to our shelves from Featherstone and Driftless farms. The season for these carrots starts in October and goes through February since many farms grow covered plants that stay safe from Minnesota snows. We think it’s fun to buy green-top carrots and show kids how carrots look pre-prepped.

 

See ideas for delicious dips, spreads, and more for summer with low-cook meal ideas.