Picture this: You're making your favorite Thai curry, and you reach into your garden to snip fresh lemongrass stalks that cost you practically nothing. No more paying premium prices at the grocery store for wilted herbs that have traveled...
Picture this: You're carving your Halloween jack-o'-lantern, scooping out handfuls of stringy pulp and slippery seeds, when someone asks, "So, is that pumpkin actually a fruit or a vegetable?" You pause, orange goop dripping from your hands, suddenly unsure.
After...
A few summers ago, I stood in my garden staring at what should have been a bountiful pepper harvest. Instead, I found myself looking at scraggly plants with a handful of bitter green peppers that barely resembled the colorful,...
There's nothing quite like the moment when you bite into a pepper you've grown yourself and discover that perfect balance of heat and flavor dancing on your tongue.
Three years ago, I made what seemed like a simple decision that...
Picture this: It's a crisp October morning, and you're walking through your garden with a cup of coffee, surveying the season's end. While your neighbor is already planning next year's seed orders and wondering where to store his rototiller,...
The first time I caught a whiff of pandan leaves steaming with rice in my neighbor's kitchen, I knew I had to have this plant. That sweet, vanilla-coconut aroma transported me straight to a tropical paradise—and I was hooked.
Little...
Picture this: It's the middle of January, snow is covering most of your garden, and you're craving fresh, homegrown greens.
You bundle up, trudge outside, and harvest handfuls of sweet, purple-tinged leaves from a magnificent plant that looks more like...
"Grandma always said the prettiest things in life were often the most useful too."
I still remember the first time I nervously plucked a pansy from my grandmother's garden and popped it into my mouth at age seven. The mild,...
Last fall, I stood in my kitchen staring at three overflowing bushel baskets of apples from our neighbor's generosity—their old apple tree had produced more fruit than their family could possibly use.
As someone who hates food waste, I...
There's something special about growing herbs that serve double duty as both culinary treasures and attractive garden plants. Sorrel fits this description perfectly, offering a distinctive lemony tang to dishes while providing beautiful foliage in your garden space.
This often-overlooked...