Garden Harvest Recipes
Autumn is also garden harvest time, which makes for a lot of garden
recipes to share with your kids. If you didn't plant a garden this year
consider doing one next year with your child. Even if it is only one
pot with peppers or tomatoes, get your kids involved and they will
learn
a lot about where the food we eat comes from.
Here is another great resource for
planning gardens and growing vegetables with
your kids. This website also has a great idea of what to do
with your vegetables besides eat them. (See the picture on the page
link).
Even if you don't have your own garden, you
can still enjoy the benefits from others gardening and farming. Visit a
farmer's market or even your grocery store will have
in season fruits and vegetables
on sale now. Enjoy these garden harvest recipes with your kids and help
instill healthy eating and learning about nutrition.
Garden Harvest: Tomatoes
Learn about Tomato Food Facts.

Greek Salad
2-3 tomatoes, diced
2-3 cucumbers, diced
Black pitted olives
Soft cheese like feta
Olive oil
Pepper
Have adult dice tomatoes and cucumbers. You can also add a diced onion
if desired. Kids can toss salad together. Pour 1-2 tablespoons of olive
oil over and season with pepper. **You don't need salt if you are using
a salty cheese.
Mom's Fresh Salsa
Tomatoes cut up and diced
Onions, however much you want
Small can of mild green chilies
Garlic cloves
Salt to taste
This recipe is very much a taste as you go method. Start with the
number of tomatoes you'd like to use, then add one onion, 1 can of
green
chilies, 2 garlic cloves and ¼ teaspoon salt and then taste to see if
you'd like more flavor. This is a good way to let kids experiment and
create their own version.
Tomato Soup
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, grated or pureed
1-2 carrots, grated or pureed
1 garlic clove, minced
Grate onion and carrot with a cheese grater or puree together in a
blender. In a large saucepan, saute onion, carrots and garlic in olive
oil in a large
saucepan.
Puree one large can of tomatoes in blender. Stir into vegetables and
season with the following,
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon marjoram
pinch of pepper
Simmer on low 10-15 minutes.
Garden Harvest: Sweet Potatoes
Learn about Sweet Potatoes Food Facts
Garden Harvest: Baked Sweet
Potatoes
Try cooking a sweet potato as you would a baking potato, by piercing
the
skin several times. Bake at 400 degrees for 45 minutes or until fork
can
be inserted in middle. Top with butter and cinnamon. It may be
something your kids will enjoy when they can sprinkle on cinnamon or
sugar!
Sweet Potatoes Dish
5 large sweet potatoes
1/2 Cup butter, melted
1/4 Cup + 2 Tablespoons brown sugar
2 large eggs
2/3 Cup orange juice
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/3 Cup flour
1/4 Cup oats
1/3 Cup chopped nuts
Bake sweet potatoes as you would with recipe above. Let cool. Cut sweet
potatoes in half and scoop out pulp into bowl. Add butter and 2
tablespoons of brown sugar to sweet potatoes. Beat together. Add in
eggs, orange juice, 1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, salt and nutmeg. Mix until
well blended and smooth. Pour into baking dish. Flatten sweet potatoes
smooth.
In seperate bowl, mix together topping ingredients, flour, oats and
nuts. Then add in 1/4 Cup sugar and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon. Mix together
then blend in 1/4 cup butter with fork or clean hands. Mixture should
be crumbly. Sprinkle over top of sweet potatoes. Bake in 350 degree
oven for 25 minutes.
Sweet Potato Chips
2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced thin
(If you have a slicer attachment to your mixer slice potatoes thin with
that, if not use a knife, and slice thin.)
Kids can help peel potatoes. Then have an adult slice potatoes thin.
Meanwhile kids can prepare a large bowl of ice water. Place potato
slices in water for 1 hour. After 1 hour, drain on paper towels and pat
dry. Adult should fry in oil that is 375 degrees for several minutes,
until golden brown. Kids can pat dry and sprinkle with salt at this
point.
Garden Harvest: Winter Squash
Learn about Winter Squash Food Facts
Stir Fry
Try chopped up vegetables for a stir fry, including zucchini, yellow
squash, carrots, and turnips for an autumn time stir fry.
Sloppy Joes Stuffed Squash
Make your favorite sloppy joe recipe and stuff an acorn squash. Cut
squash in half and remove seeds. Cook in boiling water about 10
minutes. Place on serving dish. Prepare sloppy joe recipe and stuff
squash with mixture. You can also sprinkle with bread crumbs and cheese
and
broil on baking sheet 2-3 minutes until cheese melts.
Garden
Harvest: Squash Centerpiece
Pick a butternut squash that is free of blemishes. If it doesn't stand
upright on its own slice off some of the bottom so it is flat. Cut off
the top of the squash and hollow out seeds and insides.(as you would a
pumpkin) Cut out any excess flesh inside. Place on a small saucer or
plate. Use your squash vase for flowers and decorate your autumn table.
For
Pumpkin recipes and ideas see our Kids Seasonal
Cooking Activities with
pumpkin
recipes.
Garden
Harvest: Eggplant
Learn about Eggplant Food Facts
Baba Ghanoush
This Middle Eastern recipe has a unique twist with a touch of peanut
butter for those kids who love peanut butter perhaps that will entice
them to give it a try.
1 medium eggplant
1 teaspoon olive oil
1/2 Cup
onions minced
3 cloves garlic
1/4 Cup lemon juice
3 Tablespoons creamy peanut butter
1 Tablespoon fresh parsley,
minced
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Preheat oven to
400. Pierce eggplant in several places with a fork. Place on baking
sheet. Bake for 1 hour, or until soft and collapsed. Cool. Scoop out
flesh into blender and discard skin. In skillet, heat oil and saute
onions and garlic. Cook and stir 3 minutes. Transfer to blender and add
lemon juice and peanut butter. Process until smooth. Stir in parsley
and pepper. Serve with toasted pita wedges.
Eggplant Sticks
1 medium eggplant
½ Cup milk
1 egg
1 Cup Italian bread crumbs
3 Tablespoons olive oil
pasta sauce
Peel eggplants and chop off ends. Cut eggplant into sticks and soak in
ice water about 30 minutes. Meanwhile in flat dish mix milk and egg
together. In another flat dish or pie plate spread bread crumbs. After
chilled, dip eggplant sticks into milk mixture. Then bread crumbs to
coat. Place in baking casserole dish. Chill 30 minutes. Have an adult
fry in oil about 10 minutes until golden or bake at 375 degrees for
15-20 minutes until crispy. Serve with pasta sauce for dipping.
Garden Harvest: Broccoli and Cauliflower
Learn about Broccoli Food Facts
Learn about Cauliflower Food Facts
Broccoli
Balls
2-3 heads of broccoli, cooked and drained
2 Cup crushed seasoned stuffing
1 Cup grated Parmesan cheese
6 eggs, lightly beaten
½ Cup butter or margarine, softened
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
Have an adult chop, cook and drain broccoli. Then chop in blender.
Meanwhile, kids can add stuffing, Parmesan cheese, eggs, butter, salt
and pepper together in large bowl. Mix well. Add chopped cooked
broccoli and mix again. Shape into 1 in balls. Place in greased baking
pan. Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. This recipe
makes a lot so you can bake half and freeze half. To freeze, place on a
cookie sheet in a single layer and freeze. When frozen you can place in
a Ziploc bag and store in freezer.
Broccoli
Salad
Large bunch broccoli flowerettes
3 stalks celery, chopped
Bacon fried crisp, cut up
1 Cup sunflower seeds or almonds
Swiss cheese, grated
1 onion, chopped finely, optional
1 Cup raisins, optional
Dressing:
1 Cup mayonnaise
2 Tablespoon vinegar
¼ Cup sugar
Have an adult chop broccoli into bite size pieces or break off. Fry
bacon in microwave. In serving bowl, add broccoli, celery, sunflower
seed, bacon, cheese, raisins and onion. Toss together. Then add
dressing ingredients in a bowl. Pour over broccoli salad.
See our
6
ingredients page side dishes
for a
Baked Cauliflower Recipe.
Broccoli or Cauliflower Soup
1 small onion, minced
4 Tablespoons butter
5 Tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon Salt
3 Cups light cream
1-2 Cups chicken broth
2 large heads of broccoli, chopped
½ teaspoon Nutmeg
Have adult sauté onion in butter then stir in flour and salt. Gradually
add cream, stirring constantly. Add broth according to desired
thickness of soup. Add broccoli and nutmeg. Cook over low heat 25
minutes. Stir occasionally.
*** You can use cauliflower in place of broccoli.
Garden Harvest: Cabbage
Learn about Cabbage Food Facts
Cabbage Salad
1 Cabbage, cut up
1 pkg. Chicken flavor Ramen noodles, crunched up (save the seasoning
for
the dressing)
slivered almonds
sunflower seeds
3-4 carrots, shredded
Have an adult cut up cabbage. Let kids
crunch up noodles with a kitchen mallet. Then toss salad together in
bowl. Mix salad dressing together and pour dressing over top. Serve
immediately. **If you think your kids would like the salad better
without the dressing leave it without.
Dressing:
3 Tablespoon white vinegar
3 Tablespoon white sugar
½ Cup oil
seasoning from top ramen noodles
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
Want more garden harvest recipes for
autumn time?
See the following food facts sheets that also include a recipe:
Turnip Food Facts
Brussels Sprouts Food Facts

Now that
autumn time is here and you are reaping your garden harvest or someone
else's harvest, don't forget to plant a kid's garden next spring! In
the
meantime enjoy your autumn time recipes.
Submit your favorite kids recipe
Do you have a favorite recipe your kids love to make? Or a recipe your kids ask you to make again and again? Share it with us!
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Gathering the last of the harvest in the fall months leaves windowsills, tables and baskets full of tomatoes, squash, pumpkin, peppers, beets, apples and ...