Gardening for Beginners, By a Beginner - Part 3

I hope you stopped by the Museum yesterday for the Spring Fling, and celebrated the opening of our outdoor learning center...The Wild Place! It was a beautiful day of nature and green fun!

So here it is, the final part of "Gardening for Beginners, By a Beginner." It has been four weeks and all of my plants have sprouted! I tried my luck with four different seeds: pea plants, basil, lime basil, and parsley. I think I might actually have a green thumb, and may have found a new hobby. Either way, I can't wait to make homemade hummus and try some new recipes with my homegrown herbs.

Now as the weather gets nicer, we can finally move our plants outdoors from their spot on the windowsill for some fresh air and sunlight. It is important to slowly get our plants used to a different climate by exposing them to small amounts at a time.


As with any other living thing, plants need room to grow, so the time has also come to transfer them to a bigger container. Same as before, you can buy and design your own pot or rinse and re-use to really get creative.

For a fun project to do with your little gardener, buy or use an old beach pail. Put rocks in the bottom for drainage again, add more soil, and then your plant sprouts. Beach pails or buckets with a handle are convenient and easy to transport for different sunlight exposure.

And since we live in New England, and there is still a chance of frost until about mid May, we won't be able to plant outside right away. But, that doesn't mean our plants can't soak up some sun during the day and go back to their home inside at night until it is warm enough. You may choose to plant them outside in a garden with your kids or try different seeds as it gets warmer.

Take the chance to admire and enjoy what you have created from just a little seedling, you've earned it!


-Jennifer Nash
Public Relations and Development Intern, Childrens Museum Easton

Gardening for Beginners, By a Beginner - Part 2

It's been about 2 weeks since I planted my herbs and pea plants. If you look closely you can actually see some green! But in the meantime, I have found some simple yummy recipes to make with your homegrown herbs when they are ready. I planted basil (bottom right), parsley (no growth yet), and pea plants (top left). Herbs can be added to bring out flavor in pretty much any meal including: pizza, pasta, salads, sandwiches, and soups. Yum!

It is a good idea to let your kids help out in the kitchen. Cooking with your kids is a way to spend time as you create a meal together. Plus, they will want to try whatever they make, so it's a great way to help them make healthier choices and eat more fresh food.

As a gluten free girl with a sensitivity to wheat, rye, and barley, hummus is one of my personal favorites. It is a delicious Mediterranean dip, that is easy to make and hard to resist! To stay gluten free, make sure you double check labels, and serve with your favorite fresh vegetables.

HOMEMADE HUMMUS

1 15 Oz. Can Garbanzo Beans, rinsed and drained
3 Tbsp. Lemon Juice
2 Tbsp. Tahini (can be found next to the peanut butter)
1 Garlic Clove
1 Tsp. Salt
1/3 Cup Olive Oil
1 tea spoon chopped fresh parsley (from your garden)
1 tea spoon chopped fresh basil (from your garden)

1. Place all ingredients, except olive oil and basil, into food processor and puree. Add olive oil and continue to puree until creamy.
2. Garnish with basil and serve.

But, if you really MUST have gluten, (I won't be offended) then here's an easy recipe for homemade pita chips. Just make sure if you're sharing with gluten free friends you have two separate bowls of hummus for veggies and chips :)

PITA CHIPS

3 lg. pita bread rounds
1/4 c. butter, melted
1/4 c. minced fresh parsley
1 tsp. fresh basil
2 green onions, chopped
3 tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Separate each piece of pita bread into 2 round single layers. Set aside. In a small bowl, combine butter, parsley, basil, and green onions. Mix well. Spread mixture evenly over the 6 rounds of bread. Sprinkle cheese over open pita rounds. Cut each into 6 wedges. Bake on ungreased cookie sheet 12 minutes or until crisp. Serve warm.

Check out these websites for other recipe ideas to make with your kids:

http://allrecipes.com/

http://www.campbellskitchen.com/Home.aspx

http://www.childrensrecipes.com/

And, come back in two weeks for the third and final part of Gardening for Beginners...where we can try our luck at some outside gardening in the nice weather!

-Jennifer Nash
Public Relations and Development Intern, Children's Museum in Easton

Gardening for Beginners By A Beginner Part 1 - Homegrown Herbs

Are you sick of the snow and rain yet? Ready for some fun in the sun? I know I am! I am especially excited for the next few weeks leading up to our Spring Fling here at the Museum. For those of you who don't know, the Spring Fling is the annual opening celebration of our "Wild Place" outdoor learning center! We will be spending the whole day outside, learning how to create our own family gardens and the importance of community gardens.

That being said, I've started my own herb garden at home this week, and I thought you might want to do the same. For all you rookie gardeners like myself, herbs are a great way to start, and very KID FRIENDLY! Herbs can be grown indoors on a windowsill with plenty of sunlight, watered about once a week (be careful not to over-water), and be used for all of your cooking needs. All you need are: seeds, all-purpose compost, and a container. Be sure to put something in the bottom of the container to prevent root rot, I used rocks, but packaging peanuts work just as well.

Go "green" by washing and reusing

· old coffee tins

· peanut butter jars

· ice cream pints

· deli containers

· soda bottles (have your parents cut the top off)

OR buy your own pot and decorate it however you want. Paint it funky colors, use your favorite stickers, decoupage pictures or postcards from vacations...the possibilities are endless!

There are a whole lot of herbs that can be grown inside; basil, oregano, mint, parsley, and rosemary...just to name a few. Here's a great website I found with more tips on creating your own herb garden: allfreecrafts.com. You should start seeing some growth in a week or two, but you will have to wait 4-6 weeks to really use them...trust me, it will be worth the wait!

Good luck gardeners, and check back next week for part two of my gardening series for some yummy (healthy) recipes to make with your homegrown herbs!

-Jennifer Nash
Public Relations and Development Intern, Children's Museum in Easton.