Garden planning doesn’t actually start with seed catalogs — it starts in the kitchen. As we cook holiday meals and cozy winter dinners, we begin to notice what we wish we had fresh from the garden: herbs for soup, squash for roasting, greens for a quick salad. Read on to learn how winter cooking can guide smarter garden planning, from growing winter squash in summer to protecting one bed for cold-season harvests and preserving just enough to last. If you want your garden feeding you in January, the planning starts now.

December’s garden produces the most underestimated ingredients of the year. After a frost or two, kale gets sweeter, carrots get candy-like, and winter herbs concentrate their oils. While summer eating is flashy, winter eating is deeply comforting — simple, hearty, honest. Read on for an easy guide to winter garden cooking.

The Annual Tomato Recipe Collection (Volume 2)
The countertops are overflowing, the fruit flies are circling, and it’s officially tomato takeover season. This year’s roundup includes a creamy labneh dip, that viral TikTok pasta, a spiced chickpea skillet, and a reminder that sometimes the simplest solution is just freezing the harvest for later. Consider this our annual tradition — new recipes, new inspiration, same late-summer abundance.

It’s 100 degrees outside, and everyone’s asking for lettuce — but your garden has other ideas. In Tennessee, mid-summer is the time to get creative with what is growing: juicy tomatoes, crisp cucumbers, tender squash, okra, beans, and more.

In this week’s blog, I’m sharing four no-lettuce salad recipes that celebrate the season and help you eat like a gardener. Plus, a little pep talk on why skipping grocery store lettuce is one of the best choices you can make for flavor, freshness, and local living.

The easiest, fastest way to turn an over abundance of cucumbers into a tasty snack that will last months in the refrigerator. It’s Quick Pickle Time!

Tomato Time in Tennessee!
April has officially ushered in frost-free gardening, and you know what that means—tomato season is here! While kale and broccoli have been holding down the fort, it’s finally time to plant the summer stars. But with dozens of varieties available at local nurseries, how do you choose the right one? In this blog, I’ll help you narrow it down based on your garden space and how you want to use your tomatoes—whether you're craving a BLT, stirring sauce from scratch, or just trying to get your kids to eat something red that isn’t candy. Let’s geek out on tomatoes together.

Plan your garden-inspired Thanksgiving meal…

How to use the garden to get at least 30 different plants a week into your diet.

Overwhelmed by alllll of the tomatoes? Here are some simple ways to preserve them for winter.

Got a big herb harvest? There are so many delicious ways to use it!