I. Farming is their heritage.

Today, the general population is 3 to 5 generations removed from the family farm. If future generations are going to care about gardening they must be directly exposed to the process of gardening.

II. They live in a world filled with Nature deficit disorder (a term coined by Richard Louv in his 2005 book Last Child in the Woods, refers to the alleged trend[1] that children are spending less time outdoors).

Urban children still read books that include farm animals, flowers, fruits and vegetables. They sing about old MacDonald. But it is rare for them to have been to a farm, met a gardener or to know the source of their food. With a farm failing in the U.S. every 6 minutes, we are in danger of the disconnect growing further.

III. It benefits their overall health

• Nutritional health –Little ones who help grow their own food enjoy feasting on the fruits of their labor, which means they thrive on a healthy and well-balanced diet. Remember, Children need to be exposed to a new food 10 to 15 times, or more, before tasting it. Just putting it on the table or child’s plate is a good start, even if they don’t touch the food right away.

• Healthy Exercise – Gardening is a preferred method of exercise for every age, gender, and culture. In fact, 45 minutes of gardening is equivalent to 30 minutes of aerobic exercise. This will promote better sleep.

• Healthy Mind – Studies suggest that working outdoors with the Earth can help promote stress relief and healing

• Financial Health – every dollar you invest in an edible garden has the potential of yielding up to $25 worth of vegetables.

How do we go about it?
1) Research – for yourself & for your little gardener.
• There are books, curriculum & online sources for every gardening subject. Many are geared for the young. Involve your students in the learning process.
• Your local extension office should be your first stop for information on gardening in your climate.
2) Safety First –
• Fencing, Paths and Drives – Always know where a drive or path leads into the garden; consider fencing in & fitting a gate with a child-proof lock. Check any paths for uneven stones and keep them clear of debris and moss, which can cause trips and falls. If you have steps in the garden or steep slopes, again consider fencing these parts off, fitting gates and rails, especially for younger children.
• Greenhouses, Windows and Sheds – If you have a greenhouse, try to ensure it has safety glass fitted. Alternatively, fit plastic film to the outside of the glass, install a small picket fence to section the greenhouse from the ‘play area’ in the garden, or put up a secure trellis or panel to avoid balls or other flying objects from hitting it. Most houses have had their old single pane window replaced by double glazing, which is less easy to break, but the same may not apply to shed or summerhouse windows or doors. Consider safety glass, plastic film or somehow segregating the play area from building which have glass.
• Water Features – A young child can drown in only a couple of inches of water, so the golden rule is NEVER to leave a young child unsupervised near water, even a paddling pool. If you have a pond and young children, consider either fencing it off, covering it with special meshing, or even draining it and converting it into a sandpit or flower border instead.
• Machinery and Tools – Keep all electrical tools or garden machinery (eg lawnmowers, strimmers, hedge trimmers, etc) out of reach of children and don’t use them while the child is with you in the garden. Always remove them and lock them away safely immediately after use. Keep any sharp or heavy gardening tools out of reach of children too – stepping on a rake might look funny in a comedy but not in real life! While children will benefit from using ‘proper’ gardening tools as from a reasonable age, use common sense in which to allow them and always show them how to use them safely, then supervise them. Keep gardening tools in good condition (eg check for splinters in handles, rust and loose heads) and lock them away safely after use. Don’t allow young children to use tools designed for adults.
• Chemicals and Weed killers – Keep all chemicals used in the garden securely locked away in the garage or the shed and preferably on a shelf well above the child’s height. Weed killer can kill more than just weeds. Don’t pour chemicals into containers which resemble something drinkable, eg coca-cola bottles, and always keep them well labeled. Only use when the children are not in the garden. I highly recommend babysitter or mother’s helpers on days with chemicals are being used!!
• Plants and berries – There are a number of poisonous plants , berries and flowers and it is best, especially with younger children, to ensure there are none of the really dangerous ones (eg. laburnum tree) in your garden. But to be on the safe side, teach young children not to eat any berries, leaves or flowers. As children grow older you can teach them about which plants are poisonous and which are safe to eat. Some plants, such as nettles, can sting, or cause small discomfort, and while we may wish to prevent any hurt from coming to our child, I think most of us realized by personal experience at some point in our childhood that nettles do sting and roses do have thorns!
• Sun and Insect Protection – An obvious one for both yourself and your children: remember bug spray, sunscreen blocker and hats for sunny days, and even on cloudy days during the summer.

3) Plan & Prep – Plan Big, Start Small!
• Choose your site & give your young gardeners their own too!
• Have soil tested – call your local extension office for information on how. (if site is near an old house, testing for lead)
• Give each of your gardeners their own space. A yard squared would be small enough to be manageable. Make plenty of paths so that they have easy access. Involve them in the planning & plant choice.
• Buy good quality hand tools & gloves in their size.
• Let go of your ideas. Rows may be crooked, plants may be mixed & it’s all good! The goal is to grow gardeners not just plants.

4) Plant – gardening is for all ages. No one is too young or too old.
1 years old & under
• Play in the soil with their own set of tools & buckets. Or even a simple set of bowls & measuring cups.
2 years old
• help with seedlings inside
• transplant them to beds outside once frost free
• help weed
• taste test washed & cleaned fruits & veggies.
3 years old (all of the above, plus…)
• start their own seedlings
• start learning when to harvest the veggies and fruit
• help direct seed the seeds into the beds
4 years old (all of the above, plus…)
• in charge of their own window box
• have their own raised bed
• water the gardens
• harvest the veggies and fruits on their own
• help prepare harvest for lunch or dinner
• help pick through, clean, and freeze berries
5 years old & older (all of the above)
• Have with canning & preserving
• there are many more curriculums listed on the resource page.

Enter the OAMC idea. How lovely it is to stumble sleepily to the freezer & put out a frozen muffin or waffle. Then, you warm it up to a delicious aromatic breakfast. No one is hungry. Mama is not cranky. Papa is proud. It’s a good deal all around. ;-D

This is the line up. First, I baked Apple Spice (gluten-free) Muffins. Then while they were baking, I washed my mixing bowl & mixed up the blue berry cream muffins. After that, I mixed up Pumpkin Waffles. They are a bit more involved & take longer to cook. So, make sure you have a timer & a good book.

So this month, I baked 63 muffins & 30 waffle. Add in instant oatmeal, homemade granola & bread for toasting, and that is quite a breakfast list. Here are the recipes.

APPLE SPICE MUFFIN

Makes 24 muffins

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups brown rice flour
1 1/2 cups buckwheat flour
1 cup ground flaxseed
1 cup light brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup of your choice of dried fruit (I used dates this time)
4 eggs
1/2 cup oil
1 cup unsweetened applesauce
2 cup buttermilk

Method

Preheat oven to 375°F. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners and set aside. In a large bowl, whisk together brown rice flour, buckwheat flour, flaxseed, brown sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt and currants.

In a second large bowl, whisk together eggs, oil, applesauce and buttermilk. Add flour mixture to buttermilk mixture and stir until just combined.

Spoon batter into prepared muffin tins and bake until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Cool muffins in pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to finish cooling.

Blueberry Cream Muffins

Makes Around 36.

Ingredients

4 eggs, 2 cups sugar, 1 cup oil, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 4 cups all-purpose flour (I used 2 cups of bread flour & 2 cups of whole wheat), 1 teaspoon salt, 2 teaspoon baking soda, 2 cups (16 ounces) sour cream, 2 cups fresh blueberries, 1 cup of pecan pieces

Method

In a bowl, beat eggs. Gradually add sugar. While beating, slowly pour in oil; add vanilla. Combine dry ingredients; add alternately with the sour cream to the egg mixture. Gently fold in blueberries & nuts. Spoon into greased muffin tins. Bake at 400° for 20 minutes. Yield: 24 muffins.

PUMPKIN WAFFLES

In large bowl combine the following and set aside

dry ingredients

8 cups of flour (I used fresh ground whole wheat but my sil used half whole wheat & half white)

4 teaspoons baking soda, 2 tablespoons baking powder, 2 teaspoons salt, 1 cup brown sugar, 2 or 3 teaspoons cinnamon, 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice, In another bowl combine

wet ingredients

1 cup melted butter, 1 cup oil, 4 cups solid packed pumpkin, 6 cups buttermilk, 12 egg yolks

SAVE EGG WHITES – YOU WILL NEED TO BEAT THEM SEPARATLY & RE – ADD THEM AT THE END

1 tablespoon vanilla ext. (my sil used 4 tablespoons & I like extra too)

METHOD

Pour wet into dry. Mix until combined and add 1 cup of pecans. THEN ADD EGG WHITES that have been beaten until white & foamy like whipped cream. When barely combined. Heat your waffle iron & add first waffles. You do not want them to be browned; just cooked. My waffle iron does this in 3 minutes.

So, while cooking, settle in your kitchen chair with a cup of something & your book. DO NOT FORGET TO SET YOUR TIMER!!

;-D And remember that first waffle is yours to enjoy. Because you are the bomb!

Yes, it was a very childish reaction to take with God. I’m thankful He loves me.

My birthday has always been a celebration of life for me. A time to remember that God is faithful. A time to remember that God answers prayer. You see, I was born very premature in the 6th month of pregnancy – 1 lbs & 13 ozs.  But, in the middle of grief, it’s very hard to remember someone else’s hard-won lessons. 

I believe, there comes a time in every Christian’s life that you must make a decision. You must choose if His word is real, true, whole & unchanging.  This is usually in the moment where you don’t feel Him. This is a faith issue. You must decide & take that jump of faith.

So, I take that leap & declare!  I will celebrate my birthday next year. I will put on my dancing shoes and dance for joy! I will grab my four living children & dance in celebration. Just as my four babes in heaven will dance around His throne in praise. He is God, He is Holy, He is here close to the brokenhearted.

I pray you feel His touch today & know that He is there with you. He loves you.

My goal is to kick Wal-Mart & Sam’s OUT of my family’s life.  To be fair, I have already begun to move that way in our eating. It’s the convenience of Sam’s Club, I have not given up. With Sam’s, you can log online, sign in, fill your grocery cart and magically, pick your groceries up the next day in 30 minutes or less. Not a bad deal for a mother of four small children

I remember when Wal-Mart, then Sam’s came to Mobile. With sparkly fairy dust in our eyes, we were in awe. 

If we only knew what we knew now.

Socially, economically, & nutritionally, Wal-Mart/Sam’s is not a business that I support.  We have all heard that they treat their employees unfairly, we know that their prices are horrible & let’s just say that their fresh fruits & veggies are less than fresh.

So, now I begin to act on my desire to feed my children fresh, wholesome food, to support local businesses & farmers to the best of my ability.  I first step is the kick the Wally World Habit.

Here is what I do now. This is my baseline:

I belong to Grow Alabama CSA.  ;-P If you choose to sign up, please tell them I sent you!

I grind my own wheat, barley, rye, buckwheat, which I buy from honeyville grains. 

I hear that there is a cheese farm in Elberta & there are at least two ranches with local meat.

I am planning a backyard garden with friends. My dream is to learn to grow edible & medical herbs & mushrooms.

I will soon meet with a city councilman to begin working toward changing my city’s livestock laws. In this day of urban homesteading, I think 6 chickens is very reasonable.  In fact, I read a wonderful article in Chickens Magazine –  no roosters, neighbors’ permission & flock limit of 6.

So, send me happy thoughts & many prayers! I’ll let you know how I do!

 Any ideas?

Since beginning the weaning process, she has not allowed me to touch or comfort her (or maybe I needed the comfort) while going to sleep. No touching, cuddling or kissing.  She rolls away from me in the bed and makes little noises that sound like, “hmmn.”  Nick asked me if she was trying to punish me. I wasn’t sure whether to laugh or cry.

Isn’t that just like us with our Heavenly Father? We don’t like the spiritual growth that we are going through, so we cross our arms, stamp our foot and utter that little sound, “hmmn!” As if it will change our need for growth.

Thank goodness, our attitude never changes His love & care for us. Romans 8: 38 & 39 (NET) “For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor heavenly rulers,  nor things that are present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in creation will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Yesterday, for the first time,  Liv finally crawled up into my lap to nap. Calling my name sweetly. Oh the joy that burst in my heart to cuddle that little sweetheart as she fell asleep. Only to have the joyous experience repeated at bed time! I had been so afraid that it wouldn’t happen again.

Do you think that’s the way God feels when we simply rest in His presence? Wow! I hope so!

Psalms 131:2 (NASB) ”Surely I have composed and quieted my soul; Like a weaned child rests against his mother, My soul is like a weaned child within me.”

Yahweh by Tal & Acacia

Happy Father’s Day!