Haiku poems are a great way to teach children about the basics of writing poetry and syllable counts.

Children are very creative and receptive to their environments. Encourage them to think about: what they love about the seasons, playing outside, flowers, and the cycles of gardening, their favorite vegetable, or any other nature related subject.

The structure of the Japanese Haiku poems is as follows:

• Have 3 lines (the first line has 5 syllables, the second has 7 syllables, the last has 5 again)
• Refer to nature and experiences
• Poems can be happy, sad, humorous, etc

Examples:
Winter rainy day

Playing in the big puddles

Water everywhere

Soil mounds so dark

Picking fresh red tomatoes

Tasty snack from earth

Children’s poetry books are a great way to experience poetry with your child. Kenn Nesbitt and Shel Silverstein are two of the many children’s poetry authors whose books are fun and enjoyed by many!

Fall is flying by and November is often your last chance to work in the garden. Some common tasks are the last rounds of harvest, soil preparation with compost for the next growing season, sowing cover crops and garden clean up.

 Then a well deserved break!

The usual suspects for November‘s harvest are Brussels sprouts, kale, leeks, parsnips, as well as a bounty of herbs, just in time for Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving marks the start of the holiday season and a time for great food!

Delicious and comforting foods that can incorporate your final garden harvest are parsnip and ginger soup, a hearty stuffing seasoned with rosemary or sage, and who could forget casseroles.  Make your own casserole mushroom sauce with mushrooms, olive oil, sage, thyme and marjoram instead of condensed soup, and top it with whole-wheat croutons instead of onion rings. A Brussels sprout and green bean casserole with a guilt free twist would be a perfect addition to any Thanksgiving spread.

Healthy eating starts with the colors on your plate! The colors of fruits and vegetables signify richness in vitamins and minerals. What better way to attract and involve children in healthy food choices than with bright colors. Put a positive spin on new and healthy food choices. Include your child in the selection, and pick a rainbow of colored produce from bright citrus to dark greens. Naming these selections super hero and heroine foods could be one approach! Another approach would be to try new recipes from different cultures; vegetables are often used in flavorful ways!

An easy to follow guide can be found on the USDA’s MyPlate website http://www.choosemyplate.gov/; make half your plate fruits and vegetables!

The Color Wheel: The color of fruits and vegetables can often be categorized by nutrient content.

 • Red is usually a sign of vitamin A, (beta carotene) vitamin C and lycopene. Red produce includes: beets, cherries, cranberries, pomegranates, raspberries, rhubarb, and tomatoes.

 • Orange signifies that you will get vitamins A, C, and B6, as well as potassium and fiber. Orange produce includes: butternut squash, carrots, cantaloupes, oranges, pumpkins, orange peppers, and peaches.

• Yellow indicates that you will get potassium and fiber. Yellow produce includes: bananas, yellow bell peppers, spaghetti squash, and summer squash.

• Dark Greens are packed with nutrients. Dark leafy greens are rich in lutein, which helps eyesight. Green produce includes: asparagus, broccoli and spinach.

 • Blue/Purple signify some of nature’s most powerful antioxidants. Antioxidants can help to fight cancer. Blue and purple produce includes: blueberries, cabbage, eggplant, grapes, and plums.

• White indicates you will get vitamins C and K. White produce includes: cauliflower, parsnips and rutabagas.

The fall is a great time to collect seeds for saving! Seed saving can be done by all. Collecting seeds from your garden is a great way to ensure you will have the selection of plants wanted for the next growing season. Gardeners often collect seeds from a favorite flowering plant as well as heirloom vegetables to bring to community seed swaps. These are great resources for getting plants that will be well adapted to your area.

Seed collecting can also be a great activity for children. The act of collecting the seeds can be made into a scavenger hunt; seed counting, comparison, identification and organization for next year’s garden are great activities. Taking a closer look at the seeds and talking to your children about pollination, what seeds are, what seeds we eat, and the idea of preserving plant types are all subjects that can be explored.

Seeds are used in other ways too! Seeds have been used to make jewelry and dyes for centuries. Seeds can be used for art projects as well. Seed mosaics are a favorite of children and are easy to make with seeds left over from harvest. Use leftover seeds of any kind, draw a pattern to fill in, use Elmer’s glue and place the seeds in whatever pattern or design is desired. A masterpiece!

Broccoli, beets, carrots, spinach and swiss chard are all great cool weather vegetables. The edible leaves, stocks, and roots of these vegetables can be explored with children. Most of these vegetables are fast growing so involving children in the planting, watering, and harvesting process can be rewarding and done in a manageable time frame.

Help your youngsters with math while they are out in the garden! With school back in session, fall gardening can also be a great way to exemplify lessons on counting, measuring and weighing. But gardening can also be just a great form of rewarding exercise with snacks to look forward to! Healthy salads, stir fries, and veggies to dip are all treats to look forward to this fall!

Honey Glazed Carrots:

12 -15 carrots

1 tbsp of soy sauce

2 tsp of butter

3 tbsp of honey

1. Wash and peel carrots

2. Steam carrots until tender, rinse in strainer with cold water

3. Cut cooled carrots to desired size

4. Mix soy sauce and butter in a saucepan, over medium heat

5. Add honey once the butter has melted

6. Stir in carrots covering carrots in the glaze, serve warm

 Flavored sun tea is an easy iced drink to make, and is a favorite for children. Combine tea bags, water and herbs. Have your child choose the herbs; this will keep them involved in the process. Explore the herbs flavors and colors with your child, they love to rub the leaves and sniff the fragrance of herbs!

 Six tea bags should be added to a glass container, add your herbs of choice, and fill with water (approximately 2 quarts). Place the container in a sunny location and let stand for 4-5 hours. When the tea is at the desired color and taste place in the refrigerator (serve within 24 hrs), honey can be added to sweeten. Enjoy your refreshing drink!

 For a toasty alternative, try making a homemade hot tea. Fresh or dried herbs of your choice can be added to boiling water. Children often like the more mild flavored teas that have edible flowers and leaves for instance, chamomile, mint leaves or even lemon balm. This can be a warming and healthy alternative to hot chocolate.

Add dried herbs, (1 to 2 tbsp), or 1 cup of fresh herbs to two cups of boiling water. Reduce heat and steep for 10 to 20 minutes. Pour through a strainer. Enjoy your warming tea!

 Growing tomatoes is easy with the right preparation and can be a great way to teach children about plant varieties. Children enjoy the super tiny cherry tomatoes for a bite sized treat. But other varieties with funny names like Big Ben Beefsteak and unusual colored tomatoes like the Yellow Butterfly Plum are always a hit!

The tomato has found its way into many dishes of diverse cultures.  Tomatoes are found in spaghetti sauce, on tacos, in stir fry and more. Some of the tastiest and easiest ways to enjoy tomatoes are in homemade salsas. Salsa is a healthy snack that children can help to prepare.

Garden Salsa:

2-3 large cucumbers

4 medium ripe tomatoes

1 large Sweet onion (Vidalia)

2-3 jalapenos or banana peppers

1 tbsp garlic powder or 2 cloves fresh

2 tbsp black pepper

Thinly slice onion and cucumbers in a food processor or by hand (the slap chop is a greatalternative if you have little ones helping you to prepare the produce). Slice and cube tomatoes to preference. Chop peppers finely and add to vegetables.  Mix vegetables and all remaining ingredients in a large bowl. Salsa must sit for 2-4 hours in the refrigerator before serving. Lastly, salt to taste (2-3 tbsp of salt is usually enough). Enjoy! 

A seasonal treat that is fast, fresh and loved are cherry tomatoes wrapped in basil leaves!  August is also a perfect time to make pesto. Most pesto recipes call for pine nuts but if you have little ones with nut allergies, sunflower seeds make a great alternative.

Basil Pesto:

2 cups of fresh basil

½ cup of grated parmesan cheese

½ cup of extra virgin olive oil

1/3 cup of sunflower seeds

3 medium sized garlic cloves, minced

Salt and pepper to season

1.Combine the basil and sunflower seeds, blend for one minute  in a food processor. Add garlic and pulse for one minute.

2.Add in olive oil while blending with the food processor. Add grated cheese, salt and pepper and pulse for one more minute.

3. Serve fresh with tomatoes, pasta or crackers!

 As your garden continues running in high gear this August, consider sharing your harvest with those who don’t have their own garden. Share some tomatoes with a neighbor, send your kid to camp with a backpack full or eggplants or bake some extra zucchini bread for your hairdresser.

If you want to make sure your extra vegetables get to those who need it most, consider donating some fresh produce to the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank. Phipps and two of the nurseries nthat participate in our Top Ten Sustainable Plant Program are making easier than ever to donate. Check out the two opportunities below, and share the harvest!

Seventh Annual Tomato and Garlic Festival at Phipps:

Red, Ripe & Roasted

Sunday, August 28, 2011, 11 a.m.-5 p.m.

Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens and the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank celebrate two of Western Pennsylvania’s quintessential summer crops during the seventh annual tomato and garlic festival: Red, Ripe & Roasted. Held on Phipps’ historic front lawn and in the Outdoor Garden, this family-friendly event will feature a farmers’ market, a garlic roast, live cooking demos, tastings, and activities for kids. Call to gardeners: Bring your ugliest, smallest and largest ripe tomatoes to be judged for prizes!

Come with a bag of fresh produce or buy some at our onsite farmers’ market to donate to the Food Bank and receive free admission to the festival and the Conservatory during event hours.

And check out this other produce donation program featuring local nurseries:  Plumline Nursery and The Urban Gardener

There is a new discovery station on site to offer our guests samples from the garden, and help kids (and adults too!) learn about all the different parts of a plant we eat and the role vegetables play in a healthy diet.

You can also try our produce at Cafe Phipps - our vey own green certified restaurant. Our horticulture staff is working with our Cafe to feature fresh produce straight out of the garden. Talk about local!

For those of you who can’t make it to Phipps in person – feast your eyes on these garden photos. And remember, our goal with these gardens is to make them easy to replicate. So if you see something that catches your eye, consider where it might go in your own yard. Happy gardening!