Food Gardening Network

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Food Gardening Magazine • February 2024

Hello, and welcome to the February edition of Food Gardening Magazine. February is typically the month when I start thinking about warm spring days, sunny skies, and the smell of fresh grass poking up through the ground. Of course, those days are still a month or more into the future. Even so, I always find it's…  READ MORE right arrow
Christy Page

Food Gardening with Amanda

My husband and I both have Italian roots, with my family originating from Rome and his from Ischia. Whenever our conversations get animated, with wild hand gestures and raised voices, we often have to explain to our confused five-year-old that, "We're not yelling, we're just Italian!" My garden has a natural inclination towards Italian vegetables…  READ MORE right arrow
Now that it’s February, we’re only a hop skip and a jump until the tulips start springing up where I live in the Northeast, the fragrant sign that winter is finally over. But by the time they’re in bloom, most of the gardening supply stores, including the farmers co-op down the street from me, are sold out of the most essential gardening tools, or at least any specific ones that I want.  READ MORE right arrow
If anyone ever said that a Type A personality and gardening didn't mix, they never heard of seed tape. Have you heard of it? This tool is the best way to feed your neuroses of perfectly spaced vegetables like carrots, lettuce, radishes, beans, and other seeds you tend to plant in bulk. It's a bit hard to find in stores, but that's fine because it's totally easy to make DIY seed tape.  READ MORE right arrow
Chicken Cacciatore is my favorite go-to dish—it reminds me of Sundays at my Italian grandmother's house, and it might be the first spicy dish I ever tried. Of course, when I was a kid, I picked out the peppers and onions, but nowadays all the ingredients are equal on my plate! This dish is also…  READ MORE right arrow
Canning process of tomato in mason jar.
Tomatoes, believe it or not, haven't always been the household staple we know today. In fact, these luscious red orbs have a fascinating history. Native to South America, tomatoes were initially met with skepticism when introduced to Europe in the 16th century. Some folks thought they were poisonous, thanks to their close botanical relatives, deadly…  READ MORE right arrow
Italian Food Garden Planning Kit
Is there anything more exquisite than indulging in the rich flavors of an authentic Italian meal? For those of us fortunate enough to trace our roots back to Italy, the answer is an unequivocal no! And even if your heritage doesn't hail from this culinary paradise, picture this: a steaming plate of handmade fettuccine or…  READ MORE right arrow
Once the soil softens in the spring, I'm rushing to grab my trusty shovels from the garden shed! But does that mean I'm twiddling my thumbs all winter, waiting to slip on my gardening gloves again? Heck no! There's always a fun gardening DIY project waiting for me, whether building a hydroponic system or getting…  READ MORE right arrow
Never Too Many Cherry Tomatoes
When I hear people griping about their difficulties in kick starting tomato seeds, I can't help but think of the sight of my own tomato forest that spontaneously emerges every mid-summer. These are the babies of last year's tomato heroes who simply tumbled to the ground and decided to set down roots on their own…  READ MORE right arrow

Featured Kit

Italian Food Garden Planning Kit
Is there anything more exquisite than indulging in the rich flavors of an authentic Italian meal? For those of us fortunate enough to trace our roots back to Italy, the answer is an unequivocal no! And even if your heritage doesn't hail from this culinary paradise, picture this: a steaming plate of handmade fettuccine or…  READ MORE right arrow

Gardening Guide Close-Ups

Walk into the kitchen at pretty much any restaurant and you'll find basil. It's prominent in many cuisines from Italian to Indian to Thai to Vietnamese to Mediterranean. You can find it in salads, atop sandwiches, or even basil ice cream. With so much popularity, it should come as little surprise that there are different types of basil.  READ MORE right arrow
As they say, "patience is a virtue," and this is particularly true when waiting for bell peppers to grow and ripen. Bell peppers need a little coddling in the beginning. Peppers like warm soil, so you need to prime their space with black plastic or barrier to warm up the soil to 70°F (24°C) prior…  READ MORE right arrow
Despite its unmistakable appearance, the cauliflower is a somewhat mysterious vegetable. Cauliflower is a cool-weather crop that loves sunlight, it can be tricky to grow, and it's not naturally white, though that's the color we most often associate with this cruciferous vegetable. But knowing the cauliflower growing stages takes some of the mystery out of…  READ MORE right arrow

Featured Recipes

Chocolate-covered strawberries
Do you want to know a secret? Chocolate-Covered Strawberries may be an iconic part of Valentines’ Day, but there’s nothing stopping you from whipping up these bite-sized treats for your own enjoyment, any time of the year! There’s really nothing stopping you from dipping strawberries in chocolate whenever you…  READ MORE right arrow
Healthy Slow Cooker Chicken Noodle Soup
Chicken soup has been around for as long as anyone can remember. For moms like me, chicken soup is a total godsend when anyone in the family gets a bug, or when I have a rotisserie chicken I want to turn into stock. It’s also pretty easy to make if you just want something quick…  READ MORE right arrow
Onion-Topped Focaccia Bread
I don’t know what it is about focaccia, but I feel like it’s one of the most decadent breads ever. Maybe it’s the olive oil or the rise time that gives it such a rich, complex flavor and texture. Whatever it is, focaccia is a real winner…  READ MORE right arrow
Baked Orange Chicken Breast
I was unpacking the groceries when an old friend called to say he and his family were in town for the weekend; could they stop by? I told them to come over for dinner. That gave me some time to brainstorm what to do for dinner. What…  READ MORE right arrow

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