What’s better than having your own produce aisle right outside your kitchen window?
There are so many benefits to having your own garden, regardless of size. Just a few of the advantages include self-sufficiency, a decreased carbon footprint, supporting local businesses, keeping your dollars within your community, and sharing your knowledge and bounty of food with everyone around you.
When a global pandemic brought her career in hospitality to a halt, Jamie Brennan turned to her garden for inspiration and healing and found a new path forward. “Getting your hands in the dirt and being able to watch your seeds grow and start producing food positively impacts your mind, body, and overall health,” says Brennan. Gardening not only became a way of life, but also inspired her to found Gold Feather Farms. Brennan and her team now design gardens for Boise's professional chefs and home cooks who grow their own ingredients in all-natural, low-maintenance, and visually beautiful plots.
Boise’s weather is conducive to growing all kinds of produce – from peas and potatoes to spinach and summer squash. Warm-weather plants such as peppers and tomatoes grow easily in Boise once all danger of frost has passed.
Food from your own kitchen garden can have the benefit of being grown with nutrient-dense quality soil and non-GMO locally sourced seeds, making healthy food even healthier. The vitamin content will be at its highest when you eat vegetables picked from your own garden, and reduces the risk of eating food that may contain harmful chemicals. Grocery store produce has sometimes been grown hundreds of miles away, meaning the taste and nutritional value can often be compromised.
Eating fresh vegetables is an important way to improve the health of the whole family. Encouraging kids to get involved in the process ensures they’ll be more interested in trying the vegetables they grew themselves!
But one of the sweetest joys of gardening is sharing the bounty. The pride of serving your friends and family fresh carrots, beets, and radishes you’ve grown yourself is one of life’s great pleasures. Swapping your lettuce for your neighbor’s zucchini can create a whole new friendship and brings new meaning to “meeting over the fence.”
Gardening is a natural stress reliever, and a simple way to enjoy some fresh air and sunshine as well as give you a mood-boost. Kitchen gardens help make Boise more resilient, healthier, and more aware of sustainability. Brennan agrees, “When you’re just getting started, gardening can be intimidating, but after that first bite you’ll be hooked. Just remember the old saying, ‘There are no mistakes in gardening, only experiments,” she says. Visit GoldFeatherGardens.com. Follow me on CityLifestyle.com for more recipes and where I share simple and realistic holistic health tips.