Positive Parenting: Family Fun at Farms, Farmers’ Markets, and Farm Stands

It's that time of year when the blueberries, raspberries, peaches, corn, cucumbers, and other fruits and vegetables are ripe for picking, and many harvest-your-own farms in New Hampshire are welcoming individuals and families to enjoy this pleasant experience. In addition to pick-your-own farms, there are also local farmers' markets and farm stands that enable folks to sample the local produce.  There are numerous benefits to families, parents, and children in seeking out these experiences of locally-grown foods.

* Children and youth, along with their parents or caregivers, enjoy the shared experience of being outdoors and feeling the accomplishment of picking baskets or buckets of fresh fruits and vegetables. It’s a great way to get physical exercise too.

* Parents can teach their children about local farm production and the importance of this to the local economy. They can also talk about how this is reducing the carbon footprint, because transportation costs are reduced with locally-grown foods.

* The flavors and nutritional quality, and even food safety, of locally grown fruits and vegetables is somewhat better than those found in supermarkets where they have come from other states with extra storage and travel time.

* The price per pound or quart is usually cheaper at pick-you-own farms. People can get larger quantities for canning or freezing at reasonable costs.

* If organic production is important to families, they can often find fruits and vegetables that have been grown organically.

There are about 82 Farmers’ Markets in many cities and towns in New Hampshire. They usually take place once a week on a designated day, time, and location. The NH Department of Agriculture has compiled a list of the 2009 NH Farmers’ Markets. They have also compiled a 2009 NH Harvest-Your-Own-Guide and a 2009 NH Farm Stand Directory.

Getting the children involved with helping parents to preserve local fruits and vegetables can be a fun family activity. Parents may want to learn for the first time how to can foods safely or brush-up on prior canning experience. UNH Cooperative Extension is offering many canning workshops and demonstrations at various locations in the state. For information on Yes You Can! workshops, go to the UNH Cooperative Extension web page and http://extension.unh.edu/Counties/Rockingham/RCFCR.htm.

If you'd like more information, call the UNH Cooperative Extension Education Center's toll-free number: 1-877-EXT-GROW (1-877-398-4769).


Claudia Boozer-Blasco is an Extension Educator in Family and Consumer Resources with UNH Cooperative Extension in Rockingham County. Positive Parenting is a regular feature on WMUR-TV which airs during the 12:00 noon news every third Thursday. Extension professionals are interviewed during a three-minute segment for new ideas and fresh perspectives on the joys and challenges of raising children. Timely topics and tips offer parents and others research-based information that can assist them in their parenting role. Click here to find additional information on topics discussed during the Positive Parenting WMUR-TV interview segments.