Encourage your child to eat vegetables

Plant a vegetable garden and you may help your children learn to like veggies. Although

kids won't want to spend as much time in a garden as you do, they will enjoy helping you or playing in the dirt nearby. Kids love to spend time with their parents. I remember my oldest son, when he was age 4, sitting between the rows of peas, picking, opening the shells, and eating the peas raw.

The end of the day was a nice time to catch up on the day's activities with him while I filled the bucket with enough greens for supper. The little crisp round peas were sweet and delicious. At times I felt like sitting down beside him and not worrying about cooking.

The baby carrots were not so easy to eat right out of the garden unless we had a hose to wash the dirt off. Green beans were also good to eat raw and a little easier to access than the peas. I think my son liked the colors of the garden. The deep green peppers, the red tomatoes, and the yellow squash were attractive as well as tasty.

Growing your own veggies can be fun and educational. It depends upon how you approach it. One of the rewards is that your children may learn to enjoy veggies - an important ingredient of good health.

As the mother of two sons who love vegetables -- and know how to cook them -- I know the time it took to teach them was well worth the effort.

Have been working in the garden for extended periods of time and have stiff muscle? Keep a Back Warmer from Maine Warmers handy to help relieve stiffness in joints and muscles. Heat is known to relax tight muscles, improve circulation, and increase flexibility, and this microwaveable heating pad is reusable, washable, fragrance-free, and safe.