Food Gardening Magazine • April 2024
By Christy Page
April is such an amazing month at the Food Gardening Network headquarters. Everywhere I look I see the brilliant pinks, yellows, greens, and purples of fresh grass, tulips, dandelions, and other flowers. The air is alive with the songs of bluebirds, cardinals, and chickadees. My thyme and sage are both already flourishing. And the rest…
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Food Gardening with Amanda
I hope you're excited as we gear up for another fruitful year of food gardening! Here at Food Gardening Network, your feedback is invaluable as we strive to create content that truly resonates with your interests and needs. A couple of months ago, we sent out a survey to gather insights into your 2024 planting…
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Since you can still get some frost in April, always make sure whatever you’re planting is frost-tolerant, or simply wait until the end of the month. In terms of coming up with a list of things to plant in April, there are many, but the list below includes five specific vegetables and fruits that can more or less only be planted in April because they don’t like the summer heat.
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There are many great reasons to grow your own lettuce, and I personally prefer to grow it hydroponically indoors from fall through spring. One of the most compelling reasons for me is that there are so many recalls on processed lettuce in the stores. That alone is enough to make most people want to grow…
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Have you ever wondered why so much packaging these days proudly says that they are dye-free and why so many children's products only use natural dyes? It's because commercial dyes used to dye foods have a proven track-record for ill effects on humans.
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You know, fruits and berries are like little time capsules, packed with stories that link us back to our roots and the natural world. Just take the strawberry, for example. It's this sweet little gem that has its origins in both the Americas and Europe. Back in the day, Native Americans were all about it,…
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When gardeners envision their preferred fruits, vegetables, and herbs for cultivation, they're usually thinking about flavor profiles and the level of effort required for successful growth. When designing a garden, it's common practice to assign specific areas for different types of plants—flowers for visual appeal, vegetables, and herbs for practical sustenance. However, amidst this structured…
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This month at FGN we are diving deep into our favorite vegetables, fruits, and herbs to grow, and while I hunted for a gardening story from the archives to share with you, I came across this sweet one about a child planting corn with her father and knew you'd love it. This article was originally…
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You know, fruits and berries are like little time capsules, packed with stories that link us back to our roots and the natural world. Just take the strawberry, for example. It's this sweet little gem that has its origins in both the Americas and Europe. Back in the day, Native Americans were all about it,…
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Gardening Guide Close-Ups
I love peas. Peas are like the candy of the garden. Fresh from the pod they are sweet little early spring treats. Or they can be late-season treats when the rest of your garden is finishing up for the season. That’s one of the nice things about peas–they grow relatively quickly and they tolerate cool weather just fine, so you can usually get two plantings in if you want. But what is the best way to plant peas?
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Like most people, I was once in the camp of those who didn't believe that you could really taste a difference between lettuces, but maybe that's because my two main lettuce food groups were iceberg and romaine. As life moved on, I've had the pleasure of tasting and growing different types of lettuce and can admit that different types of lettuce have unique flavor profiles, from nutty to spicy—and if you let them bolt, quite bitter.
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There's nothing quite as rewarding as harvesting fresh zucchinis from your own backyard, and there's rarely a shortage, as most gardeners know. There's even "National Sneak Some Zucchini Onto Your Neighbor's Porch Day" which occurs every August 8th! So with such an abundance of these fruits, what comes next after plucking these beauties from the…
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Ditch the canned tomato soup of your childhood and make this classic soup from scratch. With added flavors of fresh basil and oregano, you’ll never go back to store-bought soup again!
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Cauliflower crust pizza is a popular, healthy alternative to traditional pizza made with a cauliflower-based crust instead of a doughy crust. This unique pizza features a crispy and slightly chewy cauliflower-based crust loaded with your favorite toppings, such as tomato sauce, cheese, veggies, and/or meat. Whether you're looking…
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Spinach can be more indulgent than it gets credit for. Combining the bright vibrant greens with a little butter and cheese makes this a great side dish. You can serve it with Turkey Burgers with Guacamole or Ranch Pork Chops, or even just eat it slathered on a hunk of warm French baguette. Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container and heated up to enjoy throughout the week.
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Some dishes never go out of style, and classic stuffed bell peppers are on my top 10 list. It’s such an easy way to showcase my hefty harvest of bell peppers—even the purple peppers! A bell pepper makes the perfect container for whatever hearty and delicious filling…
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