We have a few tips for successful salad harvest and consumption with kids age 5-7:
Tip #1: Scissors! Small safety scissors used in the classroom work best. Kids can clip leaves at the stem instead of pulling up the whole plant. Even if you plan to pull up your salad garden and plant something else in that spot, cutting the leaves prevents dirt and roots from mucking up the bowls used to clean the leaves.
Tip #2: Lemon oil! This was new to me. KG parent Camille used a few drops of lemon oil in the rinsing water as a natural disinfectant. Plus, it smells good.
Tip #4: Dressing!! I have to admit, for a lot of kids, eating salad is ALL ABOUT THE DRESSING. We brought homemade dressing (recipes below) and spooned it on plates for the kids to dip the leaves in. Ranch dressing is especially popular, though some also liked vinaigrette. Some kids ate a few leaves, while others crammed fistfuls into their mouths and couldn't get enough.
- 1 cup greek-style yogurt
- 2-4 T. buttermilk (or as much as it takes to get the consistency you like)
- 1 T. fresh parsley, chopped
- 1 T. fresh chives, chopped
- 1/2 tsp. crushed garlic
- dash salt
To make vinaigrette, mix the following:
- 1/2 c. olive oil
- 3 T. balsamic vinegar
- 1/4 c. cider vinegar
- 1 tsp. yellow mustard