Harvest of the Month

Today Caleb and I went to Harvest of the Month at the local 'Moms Club' Community Garden. The Moms Club puts this event on once a month in the spring/summer time. They also have a garden club where the kids get to plant different things. This was our first time going since it has just started up again. And let me just say, it was so much fun! It was so educational and who doesn't like tasting a variety of fruit? Caleb and I are on board for that anytime of the day! The harvest theme for this month is 'citrus'. We tasted a naval orange, a blood orange, a grapefruit, and a pummelo. (I didn't even know what a pummelo was. It's so fun to learn things with your children. It brings about a new perspective) We examined with a magnifying glass some Mandarin oranges, limes, and a kumquat, and smelled a lemon leaf. We learned how great they are in Vitamin C among other things, and some interesting history on the different types of citrus. The kids even got to make juice. Caleb giggled while I squeezed the orange into the cup and he gulped it down happily. The kids got to examine the seeds and the rimes of all the different types and of course the best part was the tasting of them! Caleb ate the entire orange, didn't seem to mind the grapefruit, and thought smelling the lemon leaf was just about the greatest thing. They did a poll to see what ones were favorites. Even the 'non-verbal' chums were included in this. It was pretty obvious from their 'sour' face or 'devour' it face. Some children even enjoyed eating the rimes. Oh and did I mention the stickers? The orange 'taste tester' stickers? That pretty much made me want to pee my pants from the pure cuteness of it all. Yeah. I know I get way too excited about these things. But I digress. It was probably the most 'educational' event Caleb has been to and as we sat there in the sunshine with juice dripping down our chins, we both smiled happily and I thought, this is it. This is one of those moments I'll pull out and savor long after the sweetness of it has left us. A moment I get to share with Caleb on just an ordinary (Orange) Thursday afternoon.