Tips for feeding summer produce to picky eaters from newsletter authors
8 reported
NPR’s Ayesha Rascoe interviewed Greta Caruso and Fanny Singer, authors of The Green Spoon Substack newsletter about feeding kids. The two friends, who had children within a month of each other in 2022, started the newsletter after struggling to feed their own kids despite being professional cooks. They surveyed other parents and found widespread guilt and shame about what they feed their children, even among professional chefs. Caruso and Singer recommend offering a crudités platter with dips before dinner to reduce pressure. They also shared a recipe for “polenta pizza” made with fresh corn, Parmesan, butter, tomato paste, cannellini beans, basil, and mozzarella. Singer noted it can take 14 to 18 exposures to an ingredient before a child may decide to like it.
What’s reported
Greta Caruso and Fanny Singer have been friends for over 20 years and had children within a month of each other in 2022.
They write The Green Spoon, a Substack newsletter about feeding and cooking for kids.
Caruso said they were “shocked at how hard” feeding their kids was despite being professional cooks.
Every parent they spoke to expressed guilt and shame about what they feed their children, according to Caruso.
Singer said some professional cooks admitted their kids ate “just white food” for years.
Caruso suggested a crudités platter with dips before dinner to take pressure off.
The “polenta pizza” recipe uses fresh corn, Parmesan, butter, salt, tomato paste, cannellini beans, basil, and mozzarella.
Singer said it can take 14 to 18 exposures to an ingredient before a child might like it.
Key figures
Greta Caruso – co-author of The Green Spoon newsletter
Fanny Singer – co-author of The Green Spoon newsletter
Ayesha Rascoe – NPR host
Sources: NPR
