Try to enlist the kids in at least the picking and washing of the veggie crop…and if they are too picky to even taste them, well take heart, we know all about picky kids!

Many kids just haven’t acquired the taste yet for complex, savory flavors. So when in doubt, keep it simple. The fresh taste of steamed green beans, even plain, is hard to beat. Try to be creative with the presentation; for example, serve chilled green beans standing upright in a short glass, like French fries just waiting to be dipped into Ranch dressing (instead of catsup). Finger foods are fun!

These are not your ordinary supermarket green beans, so pick them skinny and tender, only about ¼ inch in diameter. Steam for about 4 minutes, and remove from the heat quickly. Serve a kid-friendly version plain, or with just a dot of margarine or butter. Kids of all ages may enjoy them at room temperature or even cold the next day.

Nobody has to know that green beans are loaded with vitamins and minerals, even anti-oxidants. They are also low in calories for those of us who care about such things, only 43 calories per cup.

My grown-up version is savory, so stay tuned for Green Beans with Shallots and Tomato…

Sun. The sun may be good for plants, but not for your hair. Wear a hat with a brim, especially if you color your hair, or you may discover highlights you wish you didn’t have. The “apprentice gardeners” will look especially cute in their garden hats!

More Sun. A sunburn is no fun either, so don’t forget the Noodle and Boo Play-Day. This is the one sunscreen for the whole family; it is light, nearly unscented and moisturizes too.

Bee stings. Skip the perfume and the bees will seek out the flowers, not you.

Dirty fingernails. Here is where you and the little ones have different agendas. They will love digging in the dirt with bare hands, but of course that is part of the appeal! Apply Noodle and Boo’s Ultimate Ointment generously to little hands before you go out and those hands will clean up easily with soap and water later. I use ointment first even when using garden gloves, so I don’t go to work looking like I spent the weekend digging in the dirt (even if I did!).

Muddy shoes. I love my garden clogs, and not just so I don’t worry about tracking mud into the house. They also look and feel great!

And finally, take time while you are out there to enjoy the warmth of the sun, the smell of the flowers, and the buzz of the honey makers. It’s fun to be a gardener!

More Healthy Lifestyle…

• Tomatoes. If you only plant one tomato, choose a “Sweet 100″ cherry tomato. This is a small tomato with a big-tomato taste. It has an unbelievably sweet flavor; we love to rinse and eat them right from the bush. The most amazing thing is how much they produce; there are hundreds (thousands?) that just keep coming throughout the summer. Serve them in a bowl for snacking, slice them in half for salads, garnish pasta dishes. Yum!

• Cucumbers. My favorite is a burbless or seedless cucumber. These have a milder flavor, especially peeled. We eat one or two everyday, usually just sliced for munching before dinner. I have even sliced them to make sweet pickles, but we usually eat them too quickly for that!

• Green beans. Another “pick” for the kid-friendly garden is a row of pole beans. Pole beans are “indeterminate”, which is a fancy way of saying they produce for the entire growing season; the more you pick, the more you get. Pick them small, about 3 to 4 inches, for the most tender beans. Steam them lightly; a slight crunch preserves their flavor and you won’t lose vitamins to the cooking water.

• Zucchini. If you have room (and that is a big IF), then plant a yellow squash or zucchini. These are show-stoppers with their HUGE leaves and rapid growth. The kids will be impressed. The drawback here is that you certainly will have much more squash or zucchini than one family could possibly eat; that is, until you try fresh zucchini slaw, homemade zucchini bread, and even zucchini pickles! You will also be more popular in the neighborhood and at the office when you share your bounty. Pick them small (6 to 8 inches) for the best flavor.

Small yard? Use a large container on the patio for a single tomato or cucumber plant with a tomato cage to let it climb. Container gardening is a great way to get started, and it makes watering and weeding so much easier.Pick up a few small plants soon, because you won’t have a crop for another 70 days or so. Then just add soil, water, sun and love…and be sure to send me your photos! I want to see your biggest and best…Happiness is…my very own vegetable garden.More by Dr. Pat…