Visiting Lake Placid and the surrounding Adirondacks High Peaks isn’t just about hiking. There are so many things to do. You can drive up Whiteface Mountain, or enjoy one of Lake Placid's museums, or just sit back and enjoy the view. One fun activity to do this weekend is part of the Cornell Cooperative Extension’s Sunday Gardening Series.

If you’re looking for a way to get your child to eat his/her vegetables, perhaps growing them is the answer. On May 29th from 3:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m., children will get to plant a salad box. The event will take place at the Lake Placid Elementary School and it is free and open to all. Headed by Wynde Kate Reese, children will be introduced to gardening.  As co-owner of Green Goddess Natural Foods and Earth Roots Landscaping in Lake Placid and mother of a young child, Reese is an advocate for healthy food.

Getting kids to eat their vegetables can be challenging at the best of times so this 1 ½ hour workshop can be just the way to engage children in taking charge of their veggies. Each child will be given a box to fill with earth and salad/herb fixings. According to Reese, the nice thing about growing these salad greens is that it doesn’t matter where people live, they can make this work. The salad box can fit on a windowsill, sunny deck, or outside porch. The wonderful thing is that children will want to eat their greens when they help them grow.

Reese reminds me that baby greens are also tenderer so children may find them more appealing. This workshop is geared toward getting children excited about their food.

While at the Lake Placid Elementary School check out the new Paw Prints Park playground. The natural playground is a wonderful work in progress. 

Growing your own food is just a way to participate in the local food process. Restaurants around Lake Placid are buying local and producing an array of amazing foods.

Tip: Farmers Markets are opening across the Adirondacks are starting to open!   

all photos © Diane Chase, www.adkfamiytime.com and use with permission.