Youths find their roots with Kinder Program

Surrounded by the vibrant oranges, reds and greens of fresh vegetables and fruit at Homegrown Produce, 11-year-old Krystal Resendiz of Montz wanted to know how the produce grew Saturday at Ormond Plantation in Destrehan.

This is exactly what the German Coast Farmers’ Market is hoping to achieve with its Gesunde Kinder Program, a genuine grassroots effort aimed at showing children how food is grown. It’s also an economics lesson where they get “Kinderbucks” that they can used to buy specially priced produce.

“You need to know your proteins,” Resendiz said. She was particularly interested in how jams and jellies are made.Resendiz’s interest was especially welcomed by Louana Ruiz with Homegrown Produce of Amite, who joined her father’s farming business 10 years ago.

“Too many children think everything comes from the store,” Ruiz said. “They don’t see things growing from the ground.”Prior to selling produce at markets like the one at Ormond Plantation, Ruiz said they sold their vegetables from a stand and people enjoyed coming there to pick strawberries and blueberries.

“The stuff has to be grown and brought to the supermarket – that’s the part the kids are missing,” she said.

Patty Stohlman, a Farmer Market board member who assists with the program, said it is aimed bridging this gap by bringing more children back to farming. Funded by a grant from the St. Charles Women’s Club, the LSU AgCenter’s Ann Sauvage suggested the concept.

“It’s really exciting,” Stohlman said. “The kids go to the market, get Kinderbucks to buy vegetables and some farmers have set aside an item that the children can buy for a dollar or combine their bucks with their parents’ purchase to lower the cost of the produce.”

Stohlman added, “The get crazy excited over something healthy, which is exciting.”

For 11-year-old Alexandra Amato of Hahnville, who’s been in the program since its start, it’s been a welcome opportunity to talk to the farmers. She also likes using Kinderbucks to buy Satsumas, as well as broccoli and cabbage when in season for cole slaw.

“You can buy stuff for one dollar,” said her enthusiastic nine-year-old sister, Elisabeth. She used her bucks to buy oranges, cucumbers and tomatoes. “I like how you could use it for stuff that only cost one dollar.”

In addition to loving a good deal, she added, “I learned that tomato is a fruit.”