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4 Herbs Children can Grow in the Home Garden
We all know that kids are more likely to eat healthy foods if they have a hand in the preparation. Growing herbs in a garden is an easy, satisfying project for kids that have an interest in culinary pursuits or for parents who want to encourage a healthy diet. Kids will be gobbling up their creations in no time with these easy-to-use herbs.
Here are four herbs that are easy to grow and easy to use for kids of all ages:
Chives
This hardy, perennial herb grows from bulbs. It shoots up quickly in the early spring and flowers soon after. The stalks can be used as soon as they appear and throughout the summer. Grab a chive stalk for snacking or add it to scrambled eggs and soups.
Lavender
Did you know this strongly-scented plant can actually be eaten? Add the flowers to sugar cookies for a unique cookie that would be a hit at a little girl’s birthday party. Lavender also happens to be an easy and beautiful perennial to grow in your herb garden. It smells lovely and will help attract bees to the garden.
Lemon Balm
This prolific perennial deserves a word of caution. It spreads rapidly and will choke out other plants. It does best in its own bed away from other herbs. However, it’s an easy, fun herb to have on hand for kids. Kids can pick a leaf to eat right off the plant or add a few to iced tea or lemonade. Lemon-flavored popsicles can be made with lemon-balm tea.
Parsley
Parsley is an annual, but kids that like to cook will enjoy working with it. It’s a kitchen basic that can be added to many dishes. If you grow several parsley plants, you can let kids experiment all they want at a low cost while adding a mild flavor to their favorite soups and salads.
Any kid who can access fresh herbs for cooking experiments is sure to feel like a budding chef. Help your child learn to enjoy different flavors by getting him involved in gardening and cooking with fresh herbs.
