Wagon Wheel Homestead

Verse of the day: Psalm 23:1-3

Let’s talk about one of the biggest mistakes in the garden that most of us do every year! Gardening season is basically here. As we are excited for the gardening season and warmer weather, make a plan first. We love to grow food and beautiful things but when you’re planting food, you need to know what you’re going to grow and how to use it in the kitchen.

Many people will grow things just to grow them, but what is the point of sacrificing all of the time outside if you don’t know what how to use it after harvesting. If you do not use what you’ve harvested, you have wasted time, energy, and most of all space in the garden. Many different varieties of different plants may have a different purpose. For example, the Get Stuffed tomato, can be used as a normal tomato; however, it is best for holding a stuffing inside due to its shape. Maybe you want to grow a different variety of basil for a specific flavor profile. Make sure when growing that, you have a plan or recipe of how you want to use it.

Many gardeners grow things because they are different and/or beautiful. There is nothing wrong with that by any means. I do that every year too! Why waste the space when it could be better served for something else that you may regularly grow. According to AmpleHarvest.org, roughly 11 billion pounds of excess produce is wasted each year from community and home gardens. That is insane to think about! I came across this website and their study while writing this post. Certainly not sponsored, but I see this company does some amazing work.

Ample Harvest works with gardeners and other in the community. For gardeners, you can type your zip code into the search bar, and they will show local food pantries that you can drop off your extra produce to. For those who are in need of food, you can also do the same thing and be shown local food pantries in your area to get some help. From what I have seen on the website, many churches run these local food pantries around my area. I think this is an amazing thing! It helps the community AND it can help you get extra produce off of your hands that you may not use in the kitchen or may not need. I think this is amazing and I have never heard of this company until today!

Grow with intent, whether it’s to donate, sell, or to cook for your family. Another great option is food security. Learning to preserve what you grow is a vital thing in the kitchen. This can be done in many ways depending what it is. You can freeze, air dry, dehydrate, pickle, freeze dry, cure, can, and many other things. Learn the skills you need to accomplish this! After harvesting things from the garden, sometimes the work in the kitchen can be a daunting task. Grow things with purpose and things that are also going to be worth your time in the kitchen. I have learned how to water bath can. Scared me at first! It’s so important to make sure everything is done correctly so no one gets a food-borne illness. Water bath canning involves things that have a high sugar content or acidic. Don’t be afraid to try a new method of preserving. Feed your family and love what you grow.

There is a special feeling when you know what you’re eating is something you have grown. There is a sense of pride and accomplishment when you know this is something you created from start to finish with your bare hands. You learn to appreciate it more. Gardening is work; there is no doubt about that! I think more importantly, there needs to be some joy and love mixed in as well. If you don’t love what you’re growing or cooking, change it up and try something new. I remember the first time I made strawberry jam and canned it. I felt like I had just created the best thing in the world. Granted anyone could make strawberry jam, but it was the sense of knowing I did this from start to finish. A new accomplishment for me and another skill learned.

I love to learn! I think that is why part of me enjoys gardening so much. I also get to learn new skills in the kitchen. Doing more in the kitchen was a dying art that is being slowly brought back to life since the pandemic. We live in such a fast-paced society. Nothing is savored anymore and slow. Do what you can!

God Bless!