I remember the night vividly. My wife Kelly, and I turned on the TV and watched in disbelief as English “Food Revolution” chef Jamie Oliver held up tomatoes in front of a first grade class in West Virginia and asked, “What are these?” The kids stared hard and said, “Potatoes.” However, when Oliver asked if they knew what ketchup was, they all raised their hands in acknowledgement. He then repeated the test with cauliflower, beets, eggplant and more. Sadly, the kids weren’t able to identify any of them. It was surreal to watch.
At that moment we both looked at each other and agreed that our kids, Ensen and Avery, weren't headed for the same fate. They were going to know where their food comes from, they would be able to identify fruits and vegetables, and, most important, they would learn to eat and hopefully love them and appreciate where they came from.
Thus, our mission to grow food began. We started modestly growing veggies and fine herbs in pots on our condo balcony, but that didn't go too well. Not enough sun, too much sun, not enough water, too much water. But our dream was soon realized after we moved into a home in Pearl City last year. We now had ample space to create a real garden.
The kids and I began planting all kinds of things, from seeds and starters. After a couple months, we had tomatoes, eggplant, arugula, beets, carrots, basil, lettuce, green onions, chives, sage, thyme and oregano thriving. Ensen enjoys helping me harvest. We incorporate fun games into our gardening. A favorite is to identify the various vegetables by sight and herbs by smell. It's definitely a proud moment when my child comments, “The eggplant looks nice and the basil smells good, Daddy.”
The best part is that my kids eat it all. We try to cook fresh as much as we can when entertaining family and friends. Homemade pizza night now features fresh basil and arugula as toppings. We love rolling fresh pasta at home and making sauce using our harvest of tomatoes, thyme and oregano. Even fresh garden salads with homegrown green-leaf lettuce and carrots right out of the ground are enjoyed by all.
Gardening isn't easy. It takes patience and makes me appreciate even more what our local farms do to put food on our tables. It's the smiles on Ensen and Avery's faces enjoying the bounty that keeps me going. They get to experience growing their own food, harvesting it, helping to prepare the food and the endless joy of eating delicious home-cooked meals. There's a great sense of pride that results and I am thrilled that our actions have inspired others to create their own home gardens.
Getting the kids involved early on has set the tone for better eating for our whole family. If we can do it, you can, too.
Now the big question…what should we grow next?
Nathan Kam is a Honolulu public-relations executive, husband and a proud daddy of two incredible kids, Ensen (5) and Avery (2), who enjoys cooking, gardening, traveling, blogging and golfing. You can reach him via email, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn or via his personal Kam Family Blog.
