Children in Madison County are not consuming an adequate amount of fresh fruits and vegetables, which is true for most families in the area as well.  Due to cooking time constraints, busy schedules, parents with limited palate preferences or poor nutritional education,  convenience, and rising costs of fresh nutritious foods, many children are not being introduced to a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables at home. Studies show that what we eat at and early age can define how and what we eat into our adulthood. 

The Madison County FCS agent has collaborated with Kentucky Extension Nutrition Specialists, the Head Start coordinator for our area, and some local farmers to bring taste testing activities to students in our local community that might not have the opportunity to have access to a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables. The program had fresh fruits and veggies supplied by local farmers and the kitchen staff would help prepare the meals at each location.  The FCS Agent would come in and supplement the taste testing activity with the children, and offered the children an opportunity to experience a healthy snack or sample in a mindful way.  The students were encouraged to use all of their senses to note how each food smelled, looked, tasted, and felt in their hands.  Some of the foods were offered in a variety of forms so the children would compare the types of the same food.  The students were invited into conversations around the food about where it grows, what it needs to grow, the different colors of the foods, and maybe even some different ways to cook or eat it. After the taste test, the students were invited to do an activity with the agent, which consisted of a story that incorporated movement.  The books were pulled from the LEAP curriculum or the Laugh and Learn library.

The participants for this program were children ages 3-5 enrolled in two of the Richmond Madison Prep School Head Starts.  There were 113 students that attended the tastings over the 4 different visits.  The students tasted fresh raw strawberries, lettuce, radishes, and kale.  The students got to taste the kale in both the raw and cooked form.  The radishes were presented to the students in various forms including raw, baked, and stir-fried. 

The students were very excited to try new foods and many of them had never tried at least three of the foods before.  17 of the 26 rated strawberries with a happy face, meaning they liked it.  8 gave it a neutral face, meaning they sort of liked it, and 1 gave it a frowning face, meaning they didn't like it.  Just one of the students wouldn't try the strawberries, and 25 of the 26 were willing to ask for it again as well as said they would eat it at home. 

27 students attended the tasting for the radishes, where about 1/3 of them had never seen or tasted a radish before. 8 of the children gave it a happy face, 4 a neutral face, and 15 a sad face. They all tried it except for 3, but only 5 were willing to try it again or at home.

 There were 39 students who attended the tasting for the lettuce, where 32 students accounted that they had seen or tried lettuce before. 28 of the 39 gave it a happy face, 11 rated it a neutral, and 11 gave it a frown.  While 6 would not try it, 29 reported that they would try it again and even at home.

Lastly, we had 21 students present for the taste test for Kale.  10 students reported that they had seen or tried kale before.  They were more apt to eat the fresh kale over the cooked kale, as most commented they didn't like its smell. 5 children gave it a happy face,  6 rated it with a neutral face, and 10 gave it a frowny face.  4 students did not try it at all and 2 asked for it again or said they would eat it at home.