By BECKY OLSON
If you’ve been to the county fair over the past four years you’ve most likely toured the Kinship Garden. This year you’re in for a real treat as the rows have been transformed into “slices”– pizza slices that is. This year the Kinship Garden Club is growing a Pizza Garden complete with yummy healthy ingredients for both cold veggie as well as traditional pizza.
Participating Kinkids, along with a volunteer mentor, plan, prepare, plant, maintain, and harvest their own fresh produce. They meet every other Wednesday evening throughout the summer to weed and water as well as have a snack based on something grown in a garden and also have a hands-on educational presentation. Many of the kids are getting their hands dirty in a garden for the first time; but all learn patience, healthy life skills and eating habits, and some even discover a new hobby.
Recently after learning about different varieties of tomatoes, what they look and taste like, as well as various ways to use and preserve them, the kids were given an assignment to research the health benefits of tomatoes. It was a real treat to see how hard some worked to put together a short paragraph or two on what they discovered. We’re passing along one here for you to enjoy and maybe learn something new from too. It is written by Kelsey Walkoviak.
Tomatoes are a big part of the American diet. Tomatoes are quite nutritious. Tomatoes contain a lot of vitamin C. Tomatoes also contain a powerful antioxidant called lycopene.
Lycopene lowers the risk of stomach cancer. Lycopene may also help older folks remain active. Vitamin K found in tomatoes helps maintain healthy bones and it is also said that tomatoes may help to reduce the risk of heart disease. So, when you buy tomatoes, be sure to buy the ones with the brightest red color–this indicates high amounts of lycopene.
If you’re interested in learning more about Kinship & other short-term, or long term, mentoring opportunities, please contact the office today or view our website at www.kinshipofmc.org.
