Spring Break.  For many of us those two words are synonymous with freedom:  freedom from school, freedom from responsibility,  freedom from winter, and freedom from the captive grasp of supermarket produce.  That’s right, Farmers Markets are opening in towns across the country, and for those of us here on the west coast lucky enough to have year-round farmers markets, we are now able to enjoy the bounty of spring produce.

This spring I’d like to offer you a challenge.  It’s not a terribly difficult challenge.  It’s a small, simple challenge that has the potential to bring about change and health for your children.  Here is the challenge:  Bring your kids to the farmers market.  Yup, it’s that simple.  It’s a challenge I set for myself a few years ago, and I’ll tell you what, it was one of the best things I ever did for my kids.  Farmers Markets are a magical place, filled with brightly colored fruits and vegetables, friendly faces, beautiful flowers and the best produce we can find short of growing it ourselves.  It’s also a place that children can freely explore the delicious world of fruits and vegetables.

I have two very different kids, not the least of their differences is that one likes fruit but very few veggies and the other likes veggies, but very little fruit.  So I found myself struggling to get them to eat the well-rounded diet I was striving for.  Enter the farmers market.  Farmers markets give children a choice and a voice to select foods that are good for them.  They can stroll through the rows of farm stands, sampling things they would otherwise balk at.  Samples of peas, tomatoes, beans, blood oranges, berries – everything from the ordinary to the extraordinary are available for them to try.  Even foods they have tried and despised actually taste different when grown locally and picked the day before.  It’s a whole new world of delicious.

Here’s what I did and what I challenge you to do:

1. Take your kids to your local farmers market.
2. Make them a deal: they can pick any vegetable they want for dinner and you’ll prepare it.
3. Let them sample as many fruits and veggies as they can find.

By doing these three things, my guess is that they will come home having found at least one new fruit or vegetable that they enjoy.  It happens for us nearly every time we visit the farmers market and my wish is for it to happen for you.  In fact, it can happen again and again each time you visit as new fruits and vegetables come into season.

This week I would like to offer a recipe for a fresh farmers market pasta salad to use up some of your goodies. It’s spring so peas and fava beans are coming into season and can be found at many farmers markets.  But this recipe is adaptable to include any ingredients you find during any season of the year.  You can swap out kale for the peas, or feta for the mozzarella.  This recipe is like a blank canvas….experiment and have fun!

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Out of the Box Food^SM Farmers Market Pasta Salad

This is not a recipe based on specific measurements, it’s a recipe to combine what you have on hand with what catches your eye at the Farmer’s Market.  This can be made with any vegetables your family likes and it can be made with any pasta such as Farfalle, Macaroni or Fusilli.

Ingredients:

• pasta (we used the round artisan Fregola Sarda which can be found at specialty markets)
• good quality Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• vegetables (such as fava beans, peas, spinach, kale, etc)
• tomato, coarsely chopped (or cherry tomatoes, halved)
• Fresh Mozzarella, coarsely chopped (or small Ciliegini or Perlini mozzarella balls)
• basil
• sea salt
• red pepper flakes (optional)
• A drizzle of lemon juice (optional)

Directions:

• Cook pasta according to package directions.
• Drain and rinse under cool water.
• Drizzle pasta with olive oil.  Drizzle with lemon juice (if using)  Add sea salt and pepper flakes.  Toss.  Adjust seasoning as desired.
• Prepare vegetables by blanching (boil briefly then submerge in ice bath), if needed (Click here for instructions on preparing fava beans)
• Roll a few basil leaves (depending on how much pasta you are using) into a tight cigar shaped roll.  Slice thinly from end (this process is called Chiffonade)
• Add basil, tomatoes, mozzarella and vegetables.
• Adjust seasonings if necessary and serve.

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To find local farmers markets near you:

For our readers in the United States visit EatWellGuide.org or  LocalHarvest.org

For our readers in Canada visit EatWellGuide.org

For our readers in the UK visit FarmersMarkets.net

For our readers in Australia visit GlobalTradeWatch

If you take me up on my challenge, please let me know how it goes for you.  I’ll be rooting for the new fruits and veggies!  Until next week…