The Importance of Gardening in 2023 and Aeroponic Innovations

Hey there, fellow garden enthusiasts! Today, I want to share my thoughts on the significance of gardening in 2023, and why I believe it's an absolute must! With climate change becoming an increasingly urgent issue, it is more important than ever to find ways to reduce our impact on the environment . Gardening provides not only a powerful solution, but a doable one. It grants us access to fresh, wholesome food and also carries a host of environmental benefits. Whether it’s a backyard garden, community garden or aeroponic garden, they all reduce the need for transportation and packaging of store-bought produce and can reduce or eliminate the need for harmful pesticides and fertilizers. I'm passionate about sustainability, nurturing connections, and making a positive impact on the world.

Gardening has been so therapeutic for me. Studies show that spending time in nature can reduce stress, anxiety, and depression, and improve overall well-being. Gardening is a great way to get outside, get your hands dirty, and play in the dirt. The years that I’ve had “bumper crops” and had to give away broccolini, zucchini, tomatoes & cucumbers were so satisfying and gave me a chance to know my neighbors. The year I started making pickles it was because, I literally had 2-3 new cucumbers every morning (if my dog Sadie didn’t get to them first!). The benefits of gardening extend far beyond environmental concerns. As social beings, we thrive on meaningful connections and the well-being of others wellness.

Gardening can also lead to substantial cost savings. Growing our own food can be a budget-friendly alternative, particularly if fresh produce is expensive or scarce in our vicinities. Community gardens in food deserts might be the only way families can afford fresh, in season produce. Community gardens, in particular, serve as nurturing spaces for people to cultivate their own food while forging connections with like-minded individuals. Gardening offers a wonderful opportunity to build vibrant communities and foster a sense of togetherness.

The first garden I ever planted I was VERY pregnant with my son, I planted all kinds of vegetables, plus we had a plum tree, an apricot tree and a lemon tree. Gardening is a good way to get little ones to try foods they may not normally try. Planting the seeds, smoothing out the soil, watering and checking their growth every day is a fun and interactive way to teach little kids where their food comes from, the importance of sustainability and encourage them to try what they’ve grown.

Lastly, let's not forget the sheer beauty that gardening brings into our lives. Whether it's a windowsill herb garden, a blossoming balcony, or a flourishing backyard oasis, plants and flowers add color, texture, and fragrances that uplift our spirits. Right now I don’t have a yard so I’ve opted for an aeroponic garden, I go out every morning and tell my plants how beautiful they are and how much I appreciate them. My tower is on my front porch, I love the aesthetics and seeing the growth day to day brings me and my neighbors so much joy. Passersby ask what I’m growing and I look forward to being able to share my produce with them. There’s more than one way to have a community garden. In urban areas there are literally farms of vertical/aeroponic gardens. Tower Garden

Gardening holds immense importance in 2023 and beyond. It encompasses so many benefits….from sustainability, community building, mental and physical well-being. So, friends, let's embrace gardening as a transformative journey of connection, nurturing, and positive change for ourselves, our communities and the environment.

Beet burgers

This recipe is inspired by Eureka Burger in Berkeley and a recipe I saw in a magazine from The Change cookbook. I like simple recipes that use things that are mostly in my pantry. Also, it’s a pet peeve of mine to say something like “1/2 medium beet grated or 1 portobello mushroom chopped” Tell me how many cups dang it! Your idea of a medium sized beet and mine might be very different. And have you seen some portobellos, they’re literally the size of my head….okay enough bitching, lets get on to cooking these bad boys. Also, these freeze well, I sent some patties with my daughter to school and they were still really tasty.

Beet burgers

1 cup raw walnuts (1/2 walnuts and 1/2 almonds works great too)

1 cup uncooked oats

1 medium white onion finely chopped (any onion will do, even 4-5 green ones)

1 cup finely chopped portobello mushroom

3/4 cup beet, grated

15 oz can kidney beans, rinsed & drained

1/2 cup cooked rice (brown or white, quinoa works well too)

3-4 cloves of garlic, chopped

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 Tbsp chopped chives

3 Tbsp bbq sauce (smoky, spicy, whatever you like)

1 tsp smoked paprika

1 flax egg (1Tbsp flax meal & 3 Tbsp water)

1/2 tsp pink salt

1/2 pepper

In a dry skillet toast the oats for about 3 minutes and put into a food processor. Do the same thing with your nuts. Pulse them together until you have a fine meal that resembles sand. Pour in your olive oil and sauté onion stirring frequently until translucent. Add the garlic, mushrooms and chives, cook until the mushrooms are soft and remove from the heat. Stir in the grated beets, they’ll release a beautiful pinkish red color.

Get your kidney beans into a large mixing bowl and mash with a potato masher so you have some mashed and some remain whole, add the rice, oatmeal/nut mixture, mushrooms, flax egg, bbq sauce and spices until you have a moldable dough. This recipe makes about 8 burgers.

You can grill these outside or on a grill pan but this time of year I’ve been cooking them in a cast iron skillet or in the toaster oven (mine has an air-fry setting and that makes them crispy on the outside and moist on the inside). They only need to cook 3 to 4 minutes on each side.

Serve on a bun with more bbq sauce if you’d like. I like mine with vegan mayonnaise, tomato, sprouts, avocado, lettuce and some vegan cheese. French fries or sweet potato fries with spicy ketchup make the perfect addition. Enjoy!

Lemon and Basil Brussels Sprouts

Looking for a new side for Thanksgiving? Here you go! These are delicious and fairly simple to make and if you have a food processor they’ll take hardly any time at all.

For some reason this was by far the most popular post on my old blog, Maybe because I was able to nearly recreate it within a month or so of it debuting on PF Chang's menu. It’s been my most viewed and most re-pinned recipe on Pinterest. 

I love Brussels sprouts and will order them on almost anyone’s menu as long as they don’t have meat. I hated Brussels sprouts as a kid, they were over boiled and reminded me of mushy baby cabbages, and why anyone would put red wine vinegar on them was beyond me. Anyway, these are not my mother’s Brussels sprouts. 

I grow basil in my garden so if you can’t find Thai basil you can substitute that, there’s not the much of a difference. Thai basil has purplish stems and the leaves are a little more textured. I found it at the local Asian market. (And am trying to get it to sprout so I can plant it.)

Lemon & Basil Brussels Sprouts

2 lbs Brussels sprouts

1 lemon (for zest and juice)

1 one inch piece of ginger peeled & grated

3 green onions

2 Tbsp Thai basil

2 cloves garlic

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 tsp salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Slice the Brussels sprouts and onion fairly thin, it’s easier using the slicing blade on the food processor. Transfer vegetables to a bowl and add the zest of the lemon, ginger, and salt.  Toss with the juice from the lemon.  

In a large skillet heat about 1 Tbsp of olive oil, add garlic cook for about 1 minute then add vegetable mixture.  Cook for about 6 to 7 minutes (half way through add the basil), add fresh ground pepper and more salt if needed.  Enjoy!

Quick pickled cucumbers

Just like my zucchini this year, my cucumbers have gone crazy, which is nice since last year we literally had 2 before ash from a fire wiped them out. I’ve had so many all at once that I’m now making pickles! Sandwich pickles, dill pickles, spicy pickles, sweet pickles, you get the picture, lots of pickles.

I use a mandolin slicer to get the cucumbers all the same thickness, just be very very careful….I’ve cut myself too many times to count. White vinegar is what’s traditional for pickling, you can use apple cider or rice wine vinegar they are also good. Want to add a little spice? Try 1/2 a jalapeno and some sliced garlic. Want sweet pickles? Add 1 tablespoon of sugar and reduce the salt. You can just put these in the frig and they’ll be ready in a few hours. But what I’ve been doing it putting them outside for a few hours to start the fermenting process and then putting them in the refrigerator, so you get some of the benefits of fermentation. So 1/2 fermented 1/2 pickled….fickled? Haha.

You really can’t mess these up, they’re so easy, just adjust to your taste and enjoy. You can also reuse the brine just add more cucumbers, dill, garlic etc. You can use this to make Giardiniera, I made some and it came out great. The sky’s the limit with pickling!

Quick pickled cucumbers

1 1/2 cups water

1/3-1/2 cup vinegar

1 tsp sugar (optional)

1 Tbsp pink salt

1 tsp pepper corns

pinch of turmeric (optional)

4-5 sprig of fresh dill

sliced garden cucumbers

Fill a large mason jar with cucumbers and whatever other vegetables, peppercorns or herbs you’re using. Add salt, sugar and turmeric to vinegar, sit and let it slightly dissolve, add water, pour over cucumbers, put the lid on and patiently wait. Easier said than done! Enjoy.

Lemon Zucchini Bread

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This year my garden has gone a little crazy. I’ve got more zucchini than I know what to do with. This particular one was too big for my spiralizer so I grated it, I still have tons of it! If anyone has some great zucchini recipes send them my way.  You can use any egg replacement you want, chia or flax seeds….whatever I just happened to have aquafaba (the liquid you get when you drain chickpeas) that needed to be used. You can also use whatever kind of sugar you’d like, I used raw sugar, and I used olive oil. Hope you enjoy!

Lemon Zucchini Bread

1 cup oat flour
1 cup barley flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
grated peel of 1/2 lemon
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
the juice of 1 lemon
6 Tbsp aquafaba
1/2 cup almond milk
1/3 cup oil
1 1/4 cup (packed) shredded zucchini

Preheat your oven to 400°F. Grease and flour (or line with papers) a 12-well muffin pan.

Combine the flours, sugar, baking powder, salt and lemon peel in a large bowl. Stir in the walnuts. In a
smaller bowl (or a two cup liquid measure), combine the aquafaba almond milk, lemon juice and oil. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add the wet ingredients. Stir just until barely combined and then
fold in the zucchini. Spoon the batter into the pan.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until the muffins spring back when you press them with your fingertips.

Remove from oven and turn out onto a cooling rack. Serve warm or with a little vegan butter. Store, in an air tight container, for 3 days at room temp.