Early last summer I spent an afternoon with my three children in a strawberry patch where we hand picked lots of red, ripe strawberries. While most of what of we picked went into the container, a good number were eaten right there in the field.
When we got home, we made our strawberries into jam, berry topping and pie. We even froze some to use later.
Picking berries in Belleville with my mom is one of my fondest childhood memories. I think that it instilled at an early age an appreciation for where our food comes from.
While taking kids on a trip to an orchard or farm is a great way to get fresh, local produce, it is also an important learning experience. Nowadays, so much of our produce comes from across the country or even another country, that we take for granted the natural and human resources that go into its production. Our afternoon at the berry farm was enjoyable and fun but we did also experience a little bit of the work that goes into harvesting produce.
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Taking my children strawberry picking for the first time has taught them something about where one of their favorite fruits comes from. Someday, I hope they will come to appreciate the fact that there is nothing quite like a pure Michigan strawberry. More importantly, I hope they have learned that strawberries don't grow in the plastic clamshell containers that they are so often packaged in.
Tracy lives in Royal Oak with her family and is an environmental educator and co-owner of Earth-Smart LLC. She has an environmental policy degree from MSU and experience in solid waste management, municipal and commercial recycling and surface water quality. She helped initiate the Michigan Green School designation at her children’s elementary school. Tracy can be reached at tapurrenhage@aol.com. Website www.ecosizeme.com/ |
