Benefits of Gardening Beyond Fresh Vegetables

For many gardeners in our area, just before summer is the "magic" season when they can plant flowers and vegetables and the risk of frost is much lower. At this time of year, gardeners of every level of enthusiasm buy seed packets and potted varieties of flowers and vegetables. And for those who plant vegetables and herbs, the payoffs are many.

But gardening provides many benefits beyond the joy of freshly picked produce from your backyard. It may come as a surprise to you, but gardening can also improve your health.

Physical Benefits Of Gardening

Gardening provides many of the benefits of moderate physical activity. It can:

• Build upper body strength
• Improve overall flexibility
• May even decrease your risk of type 2 diabetes and heart disease

Consider the activities associated with gardening, and you can quickly see how gardening can be a great alternative to traditional exercise:

• Digging requires upper body strength.
• Weeding involves bending and stretching.
• Trimming trees or bushes also requires strength and flexibility.
• Mowing the lawn provides a great opportunity to walk for 20 or more minutes, depending on the size of your lawn, and can help strengthen and tone your upper body.

Nutritional Boosts From Gardening

Benefits of a kitchen garden include:

• Heart-smart eating from the beginning. Your fresh food retains its nutrients, since it doesn't lose any due to being transported long distances. It also is more fiber-rich and free of the added sodium found in processed and packaged foods.
• Savings in your overall food budget. One packet of spinach seeds costs a fraction of a bunch of fresh spinach, or even one box of frozen, from the supermarket.
• Heart-healthy food at your fingertips. What you grow you will eat. Involve family members in planting and harvesting, and they will be more likely to try new foods.

Here are some suggestions to get anyone started with a kitchen garden.

• Spinach and Swiss chard: Plant in full sun; a little shade is okay. Pick and prepare near serving time.
• Broccoli: Each plant can produce several heads plus individual spears over several months.
• Basil: The more leaves you pick, the more the plant produces. Great in soups, salads, tomato sauces - even on sandwiches.
• Squash and Zucchini: Harvest when small. Eat raw with dip, sauté; with onions and tomatoes. Blossoms are edible, too!

Looking for recipes for eating local this spring and summer? Check out our Pinterest board for garden-fresh recipes to try.

Mental Boosts From Gardening

Equally important, gardening is a practical and aesthetic activity, offering a psychological lift as well as a physical workout. Interacting with nature and creating a beautiful surrounding for you and your family is great for stress reduction and an overall healthy lifestyle. And if you are growing a vegetable garden, your workout also benefits your diet!

Getting Started On A Garden

If you are new to gardening, there are resources to help you, both online and at your local library or bookstore. When planning your garden, be sure to know what areas of your yard get the most sun and which are in the most shade. That will help determine what plants to choose. Depending on the quality of your soil, you may need to add nutrients for your plants to thrive. You can purchase fertile topsoil, look for natural fertilizers, or add natural compost. Start slow and allow room for your plants to grow over time.

Gardening is an opportunity to choose the colors and greenery you want around you, adding value, beauty, and comfort to your home.

Getting Children Involved In The Garden

Do you fight with your kids to eat their fruits and veggies? Try starting a garden!

Gardening can really have a positive impact on children. A study in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics found that gardening may increase a child's intake of fruits and vegetables, nutrition knowledge and preference for vegetables. When a child participates in planting a garden, they become more excited and involved thus increasing the chance of that child eating what they helped to grow ...or at least trying a few tastes of it. (Same goes for having a child pick out a new fruit or vegetable at the store. They are more likely to at least try it).

Kids can help:

• Pick out the plants at the nursery.
• Color markers for the ground so you know what you planted. (I purchased some wooden stakes and the kids drew a picture of what vegetable we planted. After I planted the vegetable, we put the stake in).
• Help dig hole for the plant to go in. (Kids LOVE this part!)
• Gardening supplies makes for great spring gifts for kids.
• Assign days for who gets to water the garden.
• Help the kids pick the vegetables when ripe. But the fun doesn't stop there! Teach your child how to wash the produce, and then, make a kid-friendly recipe together.
• Tomatoes can be used to make salsa, tomato sauce, for homemade pizza, etc. The lesson really comes full circle after you pick the produce and involve the kids in the cooking. I try and incorporate mini lessons. For instance, if we have carrots, why are carrots so good for us? It helps our eyes!

Stocking Your Summer Bounty From The Garden

Freezing vegetables is an easy way to not only take advantage of great produce you've grown but also keep a little summer in your meals all year long.

According to the information provided by the National Center for Home Food Preservation, freezing food can be less complicated than canning.

Frozen food requires less equipment than canning, which often requires preparing foods with additional salt before placing them in jars. Additionally, extra salt in food can affect blood pressure.

Freezing is a safer method of food preservation. Unlike canning, there's less need to worry about specific canning practices such as adding acids, processing with temperature, or peeling. With freezing, it's more about understanding what foods don't freeze well, choosing the right containers and knowing acceptable freezing temperatures and duration.

To get started, all you need are some plastic freezer containers, a large colander and a large stock pot. All produce should be washed and drained before packaging. Most vegetables will need to be blanched to keep their flavor, color and texture, while berries require little more than a rinse. If you're new to food preservation or have limited time and space for storing frozen food, here are some simple produce choices to try. Ask the family to join in!

• Sweet corn: Submerge husked, clean ears in boiling water for 3 to 5 minutes. Remove and immediately plunge into ice water for at least 5 minutes. When ears are cool enough to handle, cut off kernels with a sharp knife onto a cutting board; remove the leftover kernel sections and "milk" with the back of the knife. Place corn in containers.
• Green beans: Choose blemish-free beans for preserving and wash well. Collect beans in small bunches on your cutting board and cut off the stem ends. Then cut beans into bite-sized pieces. Blanch in batches for 2 to 4 minutes, depending on the size of beans. Remove from the hot water and immediately place in ice water for 4 to 5 minutes. Drain beans well and place in containers.
• Tomatoes: Wash tomatoes and cut a small "X" in the skin on the bottom. Plunge them into boiling water for 30 to 60 seconds and remove carefully. Remove the skin and scrape out the seeds. Then chop and cook with onions or garlic, basil, salt and red pepper flakes for a simple spaghetti or lasagna sauce, free of added preservatives and corn syrup! Place in containers and freeze.

For more information on preserving produce, visit the National Center for Home Food Preservation.

Your Garden, Your Health

From a boost in nutritional balance to the benefits of several areas of your overall health, it's safe to say that growing your own garden at home can have significant benefits that most wouldn't expect from a glance. It's essential to build a routine that can add confidence in maintaining your physical and mental health, all while inspiring the kids to form healthy hobbies. Just don't forget about your safety while gardening.