Kids In the Kitchen: Exploring Maine Foods
— By Kate Yerxa
This blog is the third blog in a series of three about ideas to get children of all ages involved in the kitchen. The blog series expands on our previous blog post, From Picky Eaters to Kitchen Helpers: Making Mealtime Fun.
From potatoes to wild blueberries, Maine produces so many healthy local foods that can be found at the grocery store, the farmers’ market, or right from a farmer, fisher, or shellfish harvester. You may also find many Maine foods at your local food pantry that have been grown and donated by local farmers and community groups like the University of Maine Cooperative Extension’s Maine Harvest for Hunger. This blog provides some ideas about how to include Maine foods into your weekly meals on a budget, and plan ways to find local foods year-round. When we choose local, nutritious foods, we help our whole community stay healthy and support local farmers.
Exploring Maine Foods
You don’t need a large budget to enjoy local foods. Many Maine food products are healthy, low-cost foods. Root vegetables like potatoes, carrots, and beets are cheap, stay fresh for a long time, and are packed with vitamins. Try making a big pot of Maine fish chowder or corn chowder, using local milk and potatoes, or enjoy some Maine buckwheat ployes for breakfast. Even in the winter, you can find a variety of Maine foods. The Maine Federation of Farmers’ Markets has put together a webpage, “What’s In Season,” that lists what’s in season by month to help you think of ways to add local foods into your meals.
Creating a weekly menu using local Maine foods in January may seem overwhelming, but you don’t have to have Maine foods in all of your meals. Instead, think about small shifts in ingredients you can make with some of your dishes. Below are some ideas for kid-friendly and budget-friendly dishes that use seasonal Maine foods.
| Day | Meal Ideas | Local Ingredients |
|---|---|---|
| Sunday | Seasonal Roasted Vegetables and Chicken | Potatoes, carrots, and parsnips Tip: double the recipe and use the roasted vegetables and chicken as toppings for the baked potato bar. |
| Monday | Corn Chowder | Maine potatoes Option: If your local grocery store sells chowder fish pieces (fresh or frozen) you can make an affordable Maine fish chowder. |
| Tuesday | Breakfast for Dinner: Blueberry Pancakes | Look for frozen Maine Wild Blueberries to add to pancakes. Option: You can also use local Maine apples to make a tasty topping for the pancakes. |
| Wednesday | Maine Baked Potato Bar | Maine Russet Potatoes Option: Use leftover chicken and roasted Maine vegetables from Sunday as toppings. |
| Thursday | Grain Bowls | Look for frozen Maine vegetables like broccoli, or use leftover roasted vegetables from Sunday if you didn’t use them for the Baked Potato Bar as toppings for the grain bowls. This is also a good make-ahead meal (cooking the grain ahead of time and using the leftover protein). |
| Friday | Chili and Corn Bread | Mix and match our yummy chili recipes using Maine dry beans and your preferred ground meat for your household: Black Bean and Squash Chili Vegetarian Chili |
| Saturday | Leftovers and Apple Cinnamon Bread | Make sure to plan how long you can keep leftovers safely in the refrigerator or freezer using the FoodKeeper App. |
Check out the University of Maine Cooperative Extension’s Mainely Dish Recipes for more low-cost meal inspiration.
Even though there is still snow on the ground, now is the time to start planning your garden. Learn about starting seeds at home and the best vegetable varieties for Maine gardens, or if space is limited, learn about gardening in small spaces or container gardening.
Resources
- University of Maine Cooperative Extension Maine Harvest For Hunger
- Maine Federation of Farmers’ Markets “What’s In Season”
- University of Maine Cooperative Extension Recipes
Author
Kate Yerxa is a registered dietitian and has been with University of Maine Cooperative Extension since 2008. Kate is the coordinator of the Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP) and also teaches undergraduate nutrition courses at UMaine. Kate enjoys cooking with her kids – but really she enjoys having help in the kitchen at mealtime!