Seattle's Child

Your guide to a kid-friendly city

Recipes for Cooking Local Produce with Kids

We Northwesterners are spoiled with a wide variety of local produce available to us. Check out your local farmers market for some local fresh treats.

 

The white tents appear and it is farmers market time in the Puget Sound. If you've never ventured into one, you are in for a treat.

In early summer, cherries, strawberries, apricots and cherry tomatoes are worth the trip. In late summer, pick up tasty corn, tomatoes, Walla Walla sweets, berries, peaches, plums and eggplant. Don't forget fall season, when apples, butternut squash and fennel reign.

Taking kids to the farmers market takes time, so allow plenty, and pack for adventure for a winning outing. Admission is free, arrival time is flexible, questions are encouraged and there are often taste tests.

Wander around the market, and don't worry if you can't identify everything. That's the point! Set a great example for your kids by asking questions, so that they'll see how you ask and learn. Then, when they have questions, let them ask (directly – or through you, depending on their temperament), even the really, really obvious ones. Your child may not have had a chance to learn that peas come in pods, that potatoes grow underground, or that fish have heads. They'll learn something new while they discover that the farmers' market is a fun, rewarding place to try new things.

Tips for a Successful Farmers Market Trip

  • Bring reusable grocery bags so that your kids can help carry the loot they choose..
  • Decide on an ice cream/kettle corn/donut/cookie policy in advance; they'll be there, so don't get blindsided.
  • Bring smaller wheels. If you need a stroller, go with the smaller one.
  • Dogs need to sit this one out.

Here are some tried-and-true recipes to get your kids having fun and helping in the kitchen … and eating healthy, local produce, too.

Berry Skewers with Dipping Sauce

This first recipe is super simple, and kids of all ages can help.

Ingredients

Fresh berries
1 cup plain (Greek) yogurt (or sour cream)
2 tablespoons brown sugar
¼ teaspoon orange extract
Pinch of salt

Equipment

Colander
Toothpicks or skewers
Measuring cups and spoons
Bowl
Spoon

Preparation

  • Stir the brown sugar, salt and extract into the yogurt. Taste and adjust. (Make fresh or up to two days ahead and cover in the fridge.)
  • Gently wash the berries right before using.
  • Build a bunch of berry skewers.
  • Eat!

 

August in Seattle Salad

Once a year, Seattle has fresh corn, Walla Walla sweets and spectacular tomatoes, all at the same time. This salad makes the most of it. Shucking corn, shaking up dressing, and washing and tearing greens are all kid-friendly steps.

Ingredients

tgq4.jpg1 or 2 tomatoes (or handful of cherry tomatoes)
1 Walla Walla sweet onion
1 ear of corn
Head of lettuce or other salad greens

Dressing:

2 tablespoons tasty oil
1 or 2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons lime juice
½ teaspoon mustard
Salt and pepper to taste
(Optional fresh herbs – cilantro, basil, parsley)

Equipment

Salad spinner/kitchen towels
Small plastic snap top container
Cutting board
Knife
Salad bowl and servers

Preparation

  • Fill up a sink or large pot with water. Rinse greens to remove dirt and small inhabitants. Take leaves out, shake them off, and pat or spin dry.
  • Pop the corn, husk and silk on, in the microwave for about 2 ½ minutes. Set aside and let it cool (or boil in a pot of water for 2 to 3 minutes).
  • Slice the sweet onion in half through the root, cut down the center almost to the root, then cut slices about the width of your pinky.
  • Cut the core out of the tomato, and roughly chop.

Cook

  • Shuck the cooled corn, and rub off the silk. Hold the pointy tip, and put the flat stem end on the cutting board. Run the knife down the side to cut off the kernels. Toss them in the salad bowl with the tomato and half the onion.
  • Tear up the leaves and add them too.
  • Smash, peel and finely chop the garlic. Add all the dressing ingredients into the snap top container. Shake-shake-shake.
  • Toss it all together, taste, add more onion if needed.
  • Eat!

 

Be Adventurous Baba Ganoush

Eggplants are showing up at more Farmers Markets. If you are all hummus'd out and want a new summer dip, try this.

Ingredients

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1 largish globe eggplant
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 tablespoons oil
Juice of one lemon
Salt to taste
(Optional – 1 to 2 tablespoons tahini paste)

Equipment

Shallow pan
Large plate
2 forks
Smallish bowl

Preparation

  • Preheat oven to 400ËšF
  • Poke the fork into the eggplant(s) four to eight times to prevent explosion.
  • Place just plain on a shallow pan.

Cook

  • Bake for 30 to 45 minutes. Turn at about 15 minutes.
  • Eggplant is done when a fork pokes all the way through the globe end. The stem end can stay tough.
  • On the plate, use two forks to pull open the eggplant and scrape out the flesh.
  • Shred it in your bowl. (If you find that you didn't cook it long enough, no tragedy. Pop it back in the oven, face up, for 10 or so more minutes, until it is soft through.) Stir together the super-soft eggplant with the rest of the ingredients. Adjust to your taste. Serve with breads or crackers, olives and veggies of all kinds.
  • This also goes well with lemony chicken dishes.

 

 

 

 

 

Helping parents, kids and new cooks navigate and enjoy fresh, local and sometimes unusual produce prodded Greta Hardin into writing  "Cooking Your Local Produce: A Cookbook for Tackling Famers Markets. CSA Boxes and Your Own Backyard"  in 2013. She's a science teacher, an enthusiastic cook, and mother.  She couldn't find a cookbook to help people get started in the emerging landscape of local food, so she wrote one. 

 

 

 

 

About the Author

Greta Hardin