Peppers
Understanding Veg
The bell pepper or capsicum annum could be considered the non-spicy cousin to the chilli pepper. Did you know that peppers change colour as they ripen? They start green, then yellow, orange and finally, red. The longer they grow, the sweeter they become. Red and orange are sweet and tasty raw and in salads. All peppers are great on pizza, in stir fries, or roasted.
Nutrition
Red peppers contain more vitamin C than an orange. They are also rich in B6, K, A and E and minerals including potassium and folate. These nutrients support our bodies in lots of ways including our vision, immune system and bone health.
Shopping Guide
Look out for female peppers, with only three lobes at the bottom of the pepper – they are sweeter and better raw, whereas the male peppers have four lobes and are better cooked.
Storage
Keep peppers in the fridge for up to a week. Once cut, wrap in kitchen roll to absorb moisture before putting back in the fridge. To freeze – slice and lay out on a tray in the freezer for an hour, then put in a container or bag and keep for up to 6 months. Frozen peppers will go mushy raw, so make sure to cook – perfect for pizza, chillis, stews or anything with a sauce!
Serving Suggestions
Peppers sweeten as they grow. Red and orange are sweet and tasty raw and in salads. All peppers are great on pizza, in stir fries, or roasted. To prep, just slice open and remove the seeds.
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February
At Its Best:
March - October
Engage
Here are some of our favourite ways to engage kids with peppers:
Arts & Crafts
Start simple with some non-food based engagement. This is especially helpful for a fussier child or those with sensitivities around food.
DOWNLOADS:
For peppers, why not try making a pepper face mask a cut-out and colour pepper, or veg crown?
Puzzles & Games
Puzzles and games are all about fun and centering them on veg brings a positive association with it. Like arts & crafts, this is great for those who aren’t yet ready to interact physically with the veg, but it can still be fun for all!
DOWNLOADS:
Shaun the Sheep – Amazing Pepper Chase
Shaun the Sheep – Mates and Messers
Sensory
Sensory exploration can be a wonderful introduction to physically interacting with veg. Turn it into a positive, pressure-free experience by starting off with the golden rules of “You don’t need to try and you don’t need to like.” Reassuring a child that, while they have a chance to taste a veg, they don’t have to, and are not expected to like it if they do, can make them more happy to engage with it.
Grab a couple of different coloured peppers and explore what they look like together – what colours do you see, what shapes, what do they remind you of? Encourage creativity and imagination, and allow them to explore the veg with their senses as they describe it, perhaps shaking, tearing, sniffing or prodding it. Try cutting one of the peppers in half lengthways and see what they think it looks like now – do they see a scary face or a volcano? Let them be curious and come up with mad ideas so they are having lots of fun with it!
WATCH:
Sensory expert Ruth Platt from TastEd explains how to use senses to introduce your child to peppers.
Kids in the Kitchen
Children who help to prep and cook veg are more likely to eat it. If you feel your child is ready to help and could benefit from it, keep the stress and mess to a minimum by choosing one simple task for them to do as part of the prep, meaning they can be involved and feel like the recipe is in part ‘theirs’, but also not make the process too much longer or more complicated.
For a younger child, why not get them washing the peppers and tearing it into rough chunks with their hands.
For an older child, it could be a great opportunity to teach them some essential knife skills by practising the claw grip.
DOWNLOADS:
Use our Kitchen Ninja chart and videos to find simple ways for kids to help in the kitchen.
Your Food
Find your go-to meals in our family favourites section and see what veggies work best with them.
Find out how to add more veg to your suppers here.
If You Like Peppers…Try
Does your child enjoy peppers? That’s great! Peppers are usually crunchy and fairly sweet, so why not try a similar texture and/or taste…
Serving
The moments before food is offered can be a perfect opportunity for engagement that can help make it more likely a child will eat it!
The first thing to do is remove the pressure. If the veg doesn’t get eaten, it’s not the end of the world. There will be other days, other dinners, other chances. Fun is key here – try not to worry about mess, perfect table manners, or playing with food. Instead, focus on making the process of getting the food to the plates, readying the table, and the actual eating relaxed.
The best principles for success here are the Three Rs (role modelling, rewarding, re-offering) which you can read about here.
But there is one more way you can serve for success, and that is giving your child a role. You don’t have to do this every time, just encourage them in their strengths through it when you can.
Here are some of our favourite ideas:
Design a menu
Come up with a silly name or story for a dish
Help with making a meal plan and choosing veg for dinners or snacks
Help to serve up the meal on dishes, lay the table or create a centrepiece to be involved in the physical ‘serving up’ process
The Wonderful World of Veg
Check out our vegepedia. When to buy in-season. How to store them to keep for longer. How to engage children with each veg, and simple ideas of how to prepare and cook them for maximum taste and minimum waste. Select a veg…