Yard-To-Table Growing and Cooking Made Easy

November 15, 2016      |      Posted on Posted in Total Well-Being
Yard-To-Table Growing and Cooking Made Easy

By Deanna Smith, ACI Content Contributor

For those with limited acreage and a desire to grow their own food, here are some great yard-to-table options.

Kitchen Herb Garden

Start a kitchen herb garden any time of year in any window, with a few containers, potting soil and a few seed packets. Grow basil for Caprese Salad with fresh mozzarella and tomatoes, basil lime cookies, or make homemade pesto sauce in the blender. Sage is easy to grow, and tastes great in mushroom ravioli with brown butter and sage.

Basil Lime Cookie Recipe

Basil Pesto Recipe

Patio Tomatoes

Roma or cherry tomatoes grow well in pots, and taste so much better than expensive grocery store varieties. Plant one in late spring or early summer for tomatoes all season long. Make grilled muenster and tomato on a bagel, pasta with fresh basil, tomato, garlic and olive oil, or even make “oven-dried” sun-dried tomatoes.

Oven-Dried Tomatoes Recipe

Fig Farming

Have an empty corner in the yard? Dig a big hole and drop in a fig tree to create an easy fresh fruit harvest. Fig trees start out bush-sized (about 3 feet high) but can yield 50-100 figs in the first season. Fresh figs are great with Greek yogurt and granola. Make fig compote as a topping for grilled pork tenderloin or salmon.

Fig Compote Recipe

Yard-to-table is easy! All it takes is regular watering and some Miracle-Gro to start making yard-to-table meals. Share pictures of yard-to-table harvests, dishes made from urban growing efforts, and recipes with ACI Specialty Benefits at info@acispecialtybenefits.com, or on Social@ACI today!