Time to prepare winter crops

vegetables could help win the war against childhood obesity. It follows another study last year published in the American Journal of Health Economics that found that the number of children who ate at least one serving of fruit or veges doubled when they were rewarded with 25 cents each time.

My children, Lucas (5) and Lachie (3), love mucking about in my garden, sowing seeds and pulling carrots, but it’s still a battle to get them to eat any vegetables other than French fries with tomato sauce (that still counts, surely?) They like freshly podded peas, corn on the cob and potatoes, and will eat carrots under duress. But they flat out refuse to eat any sort of salad green and they seem to develop an instant case of lockjaw if I serve them cauliflower. Like many parents, I’m pretty crafty at concealing vegetables in baking, casseroles and pasta sauces: our spaghetti bolognese always contains onion, fresh tomatoes, capsicums, finely grated carrots and courgettes, though I’ve given up adding parsley, basil or any other herbs, having been forced to pick out every visible shred of green stuff before either of my boys would eat it!

How do you get your children (or grandchildren) to eat veges? Email inbox@getgrowing.co.nz to share your sneaky tips and tricks.