After the disappointing pea harvest last year — when my peas wilted in the summer heat as soon as they began to bear pods — I found a variety described as “heat tolerant” this time around. And it paid off, as we left for a 10-day vacation in the midst of a upper-90s heat wave, and returned to … peas! The boy was so excited to pluck the first pod and asked if he could eat it right away. Of course I said yes, and was rewarded with, “These are THE BEST PEAS I’ve ever eaten!” (A ha! Finally the frozen-peas-only decree has been lifted. At least for a day.)

Over In the Kitchen with Audrey, little superstar Audrey (leader of Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution Group of the Week — congrats!) had her own pea epiphany this week.

The foodie bebe is already showing signs of being a pea enthusiast like her brother, but just to be safe we make sure to read this cute book as often as possible: Baby Max and Ruby Counting Peas —>

If you’ve harvested (more than one) pea(s) from your garden, try this chilled asparagus and pea soup with mint.

Your turn! If you’d like to share a photo of your kids in the garden for a future “Worm Wednesday” post, please e-mail it to foodietots@gmail.com, &/or leave a link to a recent gardening post in the comments and show us what your kids are growing!

This is the official first day of summer (is anyone else tired of explaining to their kids that it isn’t quite summer yet after June 1? can’t we just align the seasons to the calendar already??) — and the biggest item on our family’s summer checklist: eat outdoors. We may have to string some bug netting around the yard to do so (grr mosquitoes!), but picnics by the river, dinner in the backyard, fresh berries on the farm and cook-outs are definitely in order.

the boy prepares to challenge mosquitoes ... with a bat, naturally

Yesterday when I arrived to pick the boy up from school, he was busy making a popsicle with black and red blocks. “Strawberry and burnt marshmallow” flavor, he explained. I realized he’s never roasted marshmallows before, and started trying to explain the concept of s’mores to him. (And mentally added s’mores roasting to our weekend agenda!)

And if you need more ideas of things to do outdoors this summer, here are two:

The Great American Backyard Campout is this Saturday, June 25 — sponsored by the National Wildlife Federation and REI. Visit their website for events near you or just camping tips you can use this summer. … Speaking of REI, when we stopped in to buy our summer sandals, I was delighted to find this nifty — and free — Kids’ Adventure Journal to help little ones document their summer adventures. (And spur them off the computer and out doors!) If you don’t have an REI store near you, you can download the journal from their website.

KaBOOM is launching a Park-a-Day challenge — asking parents and kids to visit as many parks as they can this summer. Why? To get your kids active, of course, but also to find new playspaces in your neighborhood while helping KaBOOM create a map of parks and playgrounds and highlight areas where playspaces are lacking or in need of improvement. Visit their website to find a playspace or submit your reviews.

The foodie tot is already getting excited about this. “Will we go to a playground we’ve never been to before?” he asked eagerly. (And yesterday, “Can we go to a swimming pool we’ve never been to before?” Why not!)

Stay tuned for some Foodie Tots’ picnic-friendly recipes. In the meantime, what’s your favorite thing to eat outdoors?

There’s a lot going on at the Foodie Tots’ house these days. The foodie tot himself graduated from Pre-K on Friday. We hosted a small post-graduation brunch on Saturday, there are relatives in town and we’re about to head out of town on the first of several summer trips. Throw in work and all the other more mundane items on the never-ending “to do” list and we’re lucky if we even remember to eat.

On busy days like these it’s nice to have a few basic recipes to fall back on. My protein-packed “Peach Power Smoothies” is one such recipe — a great breakfast for Meatless Monday and any other hectic day of the week.

Visit Babble.com for the recipe — along with 49 other family-approved recipes from Babble’s “Top 100 Food Bloggers.”

Did you make it to the farmers market this weekend? Around here, cherries are beginning to appear, and garlic scapes, summer squash and squash blossoms have been spotted as well. Visit us on Facebook to share what you found at the market this week.

Today’s gardening tots are the adorable Audrey and Mo, ages 3.5 and nearly-2, of In the Kitchen with Audrey. The garden is a wonderful way to show kids where their food comes from. But where do lamps come from?

Audrey’s mom writes, “I had no idea when planning to have children with a witty, sarcastic certified genius that he would convince our children that light bulbs grow lamps. I think he decided to do it on a lark. We were finishing dinner when he announced his intentions to the girls. Our neighbor came to watch. It was during the time when we were putting in our real garden and I think he just wanted to be a part of something.”

What else are they growing? lettuce, zucchini, celery, tomatoes, red onions, cucumbers, and assorted herbs.

On gardening with kids: “Audrey loves to pick the leaf lettuce and serve it for dinner. I love that they are learning where food comes from.”

Be sure to visit In the Kitchen with Audrey to see what they’re cooking. (And thanks, Audrey’s Mom!)

Your turn! If you’d like to share a photo of your kids in the garden for a future “Worm Wednesday” post, please e-mail it to foodietots@gmail.com, &/or leave a link to a recent gardening post in the comments and show us what your kids are growing!