Time to Harvest! Involving Children Playfully

Every hobby gardener looks forward to the time when the fruits of their long-nurtured plants finally ripen. The waiting period is often hard to bridge, not just for children. But when the time comes, it's finally "to the buckets, ready, set, go!" Of course, children are allowed to help too. But how do you prevent most of the fruits from ending up in their mouths rather than in the bucket?

A little snacking in the garden should definitely be allowed for children. After all, nothing beats the experience of picking an apple from a tree and biting into it heartily. However, this should be kept within limits – if only to avoid stomach aches and discomfort. Parents should also clearly explain to their offspring which fruits are safe to eat raw. Good snacking vegetables include, for example, radishes (Raphanus sativus), cherry or date tomatoes (Solanum lycopersicum), zucchini (Cucurbita pepo), and cucumber (Cucumis sativus). Snacking fruit can, of course, also go directly from hand to mouth. This makes cherry and apple trees, as well as plum and pear trees, ideally suited for the family garden.

Unripe fruits aren't exactly a culinary delight. If too much of it is consumed, it can even lead to nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea. Whether a fruit is ripe can usually be determined by its size and color. But other characteristics can also provide clues about its ripeness: ripe raspberries and blackberries, for instance, can be easily picked from the bush. The same applies to gooseberries and apples. It's important to explain to children right from the start what they need to look out for.

To prevent children from constantly stuffing their mouths, you can also specifically plant certain crops that are less or not at all appealing to be eaten directly. Especially when harvesting fruits that are not edible raw, the little ones can look forward to tasting the processed fruits later. These include sea buckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides), quinces (Cydonia oblonga), elderberries (Sambucus), beans (Faboideae), pumpkins (Cucurbita), and potatoes (Solanum tuberosum). Delicious treats can be made from all these fruits, even for children. While juice can be extracted from the aforementioned fruits and then made into jelly, the vegetables are suitable for salads, soups, or stews. Also well-suited because they grow relatively quickly are leaf or loose-leaf lettuces. Although they can be eaten raw, they usually don't taste particularly great without dressing.

However, if you approach it playfully, you can also harvest delicacies like strawberries and currants with children without them spoiling their appetite: A little harvesting competition can provide a good distraction and an additional motivation to wait a little longer before enjoying the fruits.

"Autumn harvest festivals are a very special experience for the whole family. These can also be celebrated in the family garden. For example, a potato fire can be made using a charcoal grill or a fire basket. The harvested potatoes are baked in the embers. Grilled pumpkin slices taste just as delicious.
Besides the special pleasure of tasting the treasures of your own harvest, children also learn playfully that delicious food can also be healthy."