If you have the winter blues, bring springtime into your home by planning a spring vegetable garden with your family. Small container gardens can be fun, even if you don’t have a green thumb. A great way to get the whole family excited about eating more fruits and vegetables is to grow your own. Winter is a perfect time to start thinking about and planning a garden. Everyone in your family can cut out items from the catalog that they would like to grow. Kids love to grow fruits and vegetables, and are more likely to taste new foods that they have grown. Look for colorful and easy to grow varieties of vegetables, such as yellow carrots, purple cauliflower, yellow cherry tomatoes, spinach, rainbow Swiss chard, miniature cucumbers, sugar snap peas, and colorful lettuces. These are just a few items that can be grown in containers.

Winter Planting Tip:If you have old vegetables from previous years, test them to make sure they will still grow:

• Place 10-20 seeds between moistened paper towels

• Place in plastic bag• Put the bag on top of the refrigerator for a week • After a week, open the bag and check the seeds• If more than half have sprouted, they can be used

Visit these websites to request free seed catalogs:• www.stokesseeds.com• www.burpee.com• www.harrisseeds.com• www.johnnyseeds.comGrow Your Own Carrots Over the WinterIf you have never grown anything before, this is a perfect way to get started and it all can be done for less than $10! All you will need is a 2-liter bottle, a tray or bowl, seed starter potting mix, seeds, and a cup for watering.

• Before planting the seeds, pour enough water over the soil to see water seep out of the bottom.

• Place your container near a sunny window that gets at least 6 hours of sunlight.

• Continue to water regularly to make sure that the soil does not dry out.

• Once the seeds have sprouted, water 1-2 times per week. • Finally, be patient! You may need to wait 8-10 weeks to try

your first carrot, but it will be well worth the wait! In the meantime, watch the roots develop through the bottle and measure your plant’s progress with your family.

Step 2:Poke drainage holes in the bottom of the bottle and place a tray under the container to catch water.

Step 3:Fill the container with Starter potting mix to about an inch from the top and poke shallow holes in the soil with your finger and plant 1-2 seeds in each hole.

Step 1:Cut the top off of a 2-liter bottle with a sharp knife.

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This material was funded by USDA’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program - SNAP in cooperation with Maryland’s Department of Human Services and University of Maryland Extension. The University of Maryland Extension will not discriminate against any person because of race, age, sex, color, sexual orientation, physical or mental disability, religion, ancestry or national origin, marital status, genetic information, political affiliation, and gender identity or expression.

All Forms Count: Get Your Fruits and Vegetables Anyway You Can – Fresh, Frozen, Canned, or DriedDuring the winter months, fresh fruits and vegetables may be more expensive or harder to find. This doesn’t mean that you need to cut back on these healthy foods. In fact, you may find that frozen and some canned foods taste better than the “fresh” produce available this time of year. Fruits and vegetables that are canned or frozen are picked when they are ripe and packaged within hours of picking. This helps to keep the best flavor and nutrition of the food. Both frozen and canned items are ready to use and don’t require chopping, peeling, or washing.

Warm up this winter with a delicious and easy vegetable soup: Garden Vegetable SoupServings: 6

Ingredients: Non-stick cooking spray2 carrots, washed and sliced1 small onion, chopped1 clove garlic minced or ¼ teaspoon garlic powder3 cups broth (beef, chicken, or vegetable)1 cup chopped green cabbage, washed1 (14 ounce) can green beans1 (14 ounce) can diced tomatoes½ teaspoon Italian seasoning1 zucchini, washed and chopped

Directions: 1. In a large sauce pan sprayed with nonstick cooking

spray, sauté the carrot, onion, and garlic over low heat for about 5 minutes.

2. Add broth, cabbage, green beans, tomatoes, and Italian seasoning; bring to a boil.

3. Cover, lower heat. Simmer about 15 minutes or until carrots are tender.

4. Stir in zucchini and heat for 6 to 8 minutes. Serve hot.5. Refrigerate leftovers.

Try serving this recipe with whole grains like brown rice or barley.

Dried fruits and vegetables are great to eat and can be paired with nuts for a

healthy snack.

Look for canned vegetables with the lowest amount

of sodium and rinse these items prior to preparing.

Youth often learn healthy behaviors by watching

important people in their lives demonstrate such behaviors. Try growing and tasting new

fruits and vegetables with your family.