By Patrice Powers-Barker, OSU Extension, Lucas County
The Truth Contributor
I want to share about the field trips we hosted to our little sensory garden last week at the Toledo Botanical Gardens. While many gardens are already sensory gardens, we intentionally planted this small space with different plants that would make sure to engage with all five of the external senses: sight, touch, smell, taste and hearing.
Obviously, any edible fruits, vegetables and herbs align with taste and smell. And most plants, especially those with different colored leaves or beautiful colored flowers, engage our sense of sight. For touch, a few of the favorite plants are the soft leaves of “Lambs Ear” or making the Snap Dragon flowers “move.”
Most plants don’t make a lot of noise, although there are some plants with seed pods that rattle. When you’re standing in a garden, you might hear other sounds such as a water fountain running or wind in the trees or even different wildlife. If you’d like to visit, this sensory garden is four small, raised beds in the Artist Village. We also recommend bringing your own picnic and taking a tour of the rest of the gardens – especially the shade garden during hot summer days.
The reason I shared this is because when the youth sat down to their lunches at the picnic table, we asked them if they wanted to sample the violas and nasturtium flowers. We explained to them that in upscale restaurants or even at home, you can add a gourmet touch to the meal with a fresh flower or leaf to garnish it. One girl grinned at me and said, “I like to be bougie.”
We encourage you to plan some cold meals this month. Almost all these quick summer meals can be made ahead of time, put in the refrigerator and taste great when it’s time to eat. Think about ways you can plan a cold, tasty meal.
Some salads can be an entire meal with foods from all food groups. For example, a taco salad has plenty of lettuce and chopped vegetables, some cheese, beans like kidney or black beans, ground meat, dressing and tortilla chips. Another example is a chef salad with lettuce, meats, cheeses, hard boiled eggs, something crunchy like croutons or seeds or nuts on top. All you have to do is make sure the eggs are boiled and meat is cooked before it’s time to assemble the salad dinner.
Some salads work well on a plate of lettuce or as filling for a wrap or sandwich, depending on your taste. Specific ideas for cold sandwiches include tuna salad, chicken salad, and layers of hummus and sliced vegetables.
Another suggestion is to cook once and then have a base for your cold meals. For example, boil up some pasta whether it’s macaroni, spirals or spaghetti. Drain it and use it as the base for a pasta salad that you will keep in the refrigerator. It can be your favorite traditional recipe or a new one. You can make a recipe from scratch or boil the pasta, chop some vegetables and add some Italian dressing. Another base to cook up is quinoa, rice or other grain to become the first ingredient in the bottom of a bowl for your favorite bowl recipe.
Bowl Recipe Ideas from Texas A&M University:
- Chickpea Salad Bowl- Mix canned chickpeas, cherry tomatoes, red onion, parsley, and lemon juice. Eat like that or add to a base like rice or quinoa.
- Mexican Black Bean Bowl- Mix drained black beans, corn, salsa, avocado, and tortilla chips. Eat as is or add to a base like lettuce or rice.
- Asian Peanut Noodle Salad – Add precooked noodles to the bottom of the bowl. Top with shredded carrots, cabbage, peanut sauce, and chopped peanuts.
- Quinoa & Edamame Salad- Layer, pre-cooked quinoa, edamame or other bean, bell peppers, and sesame dressing.
A simple way to enjoy a bowl of fruit and added protein is to make your own fruit and cottage cheese bowl. Try topping cottage cheese with pineapple, berries, or peaches.
If you’ve already prepared these cold meals, use some of the ingredients for mini-meals or on-the-go snacks. A few more suggestions from Texas A&M:
- Cheese & Crackers Plate – Add grapes, nuts, and cooked and cooled meat or deli meat.
- Yogurt Parfait – layer Greek yogurt with granola and fresh fruit.
- Hard-Boiled Egg Snack Box – Eggs, baby carrots, cherry tomatoes, and a handful of almonds.
Keep cool friends and keep nourished.
Picture of freshly picked and washed viola flowers to share petals with youth visitors