spring

Spring Garden Planning

March 1, 2022 By Courtney West 2 Comments

The return of the sunshine after a very grey and cold week has me ready to prepare the garden for spring! I took quite a bit of time away from the garden during the winter, save for watering and harvesting, so it feels really good to dive back in. Gardening is very therapeutic for me. There’s something about getting my hands in the soil that is very grounding and centering.

Since the easiest way to begin incorporating seasonal produce into your diet is to grow it at home, I thought it would be beneficial to share some information about gardening. When I started gardening, it was with several pots on an apartment balcony. Since then I’ve learned a lot through trial and error and the whims of mother nature! Whether you’re a seasoned gardener or a beginner, I hope this post offers you some useful information 🙂

STARTING A GARDEN

The first step is to look up your growing zone. You can do this by simply googling “growing zone + your city/town”. Knowing your growing zone will be vital to the timing of your planting. For instance, I’m in zone 9a which means I can transplant tomatoes as early as March 1st but if you’re in zone 6, you’d probably have to wait until May. Why the huge difference? It has to do with the average last frost date for each area! Once you know your growing zone, you can easily look up a planting calendar. Here’s an example of one for my specific growing zone and county.

Now comes the fun part: making your own schedule for your garden! If you’re new to gardening, focusing on a small handful of varieties can be incredibly helpful. Try growing things you really like to eat or you find incredibly beautiful so that you’ll be more invested. Based on my own gardening experience, these are the spring vegetables, herbs, and flowers that I think are the easiest to grow: kale, Swiss chard, spinach, radishes, mint, sage, rosemary, onion chives, garlic chives, lavender, calendula, and borage.

TRANSPLANTS VERSUS SEEDS

I used to think that I wasn’t a real gardener if I couldn’t successfully grow food from seeds. Now I know how absolutely silly that is! While it’s incredibly beneficial to learn how to grow flowers, vegetables, and herbs from seed, it’s not necessary to have a beautiful and thriving garden. The major benefit with growing from seed is that it gives you complete control over the varieties going into the ground. With transplants, you’re at the mercy of your local garden center and what they have available. On the other hand, the major benefit of transplants is that you eliminate the extra steps of starting and waiting for seeds to grow. As for my own garden, I use a mix of seeds and transplants!

STARTING SEEDS

Some seeds can be sown directly in place (i.e. plant the seeds where you want the plant to ultimately grow) while some do better when started in trays or nursery pots. A rule to remember when planting seeds is that they should be planted at a depth no deeper than 2-4 times the diameter of the seed. For really small seeds, I usually sprinkle a few on the surface of the soil then sprinkle a thin layer of seeding medium on top. For larger seeds, I use my finger to press them down into the soil before covering them back up. You can see this process in action in this short video I created. Vegetables that do best when directly sown in place are root veggies (radishes, carrots, beets), peas, and beans.

SEED SOURCES

If you’re interested in growing from seed, you can always check your local garden center first to see what they offer. If you don’t find what you’re looking for, try these seed companies:

Southern Exposure Seed Exchange (my personal favorite)
Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds
Uprising Seeds
High Mowing Organic Seeds
Kitazawa Seed Company
Johnny’s Selected Seeds

WHAT I’LL BE PLANTING

I’ll be devoting quite a bit of time in the garden this week and next to get it ready for spring! Below is a list of what I’ll be planting if you’re curious:

Sugar Snap Peas (seeds directly sown next to a trellis)
Radishes(seeds directly sown)
Carrots (seeds directly sown)
Ginger Rhizomes (planted in containers)
Tomatoes (transplants)
Blue Spice Basil (transplants)
Cilantro (transplants)
Tatsoi (seeds started in trays)
Bibb Lettuce (seeds started in trays)
Tulsi Basil (seeds started in trays)
Lemon Basil (seeds started in trays)
Nasturtium (seeds started in trays)
Bachelor’s Buttons (seeds started in trays)

Have any other gardening questions for me? Drop them in the comments!

Lemon Butter Spaghetti with Purple Snap Peas & Pistachios

February 22, 2022 By Courtney West Leave a Comment

This vegan and gluten free lemon butter spaghetti with purple snap peas and crushed pistachios is like a bowl of springtime comfort food! A sprinkle of vegan feta gives it a salty, tangy finish.

This lemon butter spaghetti with purple snap peas and crushed pistachios is a bowl of springtime comfort food! Spaghetti and cultured vegan butter = simple carb-y comfort. Normally, I wouldn’t be able to enjoy snap peas yet but one of my local farms was able to grow a beautiful winter crop in their high tunnel. It was so nice to have a little spring teaser, especially one in such a beautiful shade of purple!

This dish is a perfect example of the joy of eating seasonally. Sometimes, you get a lovely surprise like a purple snap pea in February. A surprise which wouldn’t be possible (or even hold the same meaning) if purchased from a grocery store. A surprise like this sparks creativity and leads to new and exciting dishes. Or at the very least, delights you with it’s sweet taste and gorgeous hue if it simply acts as a raw snack amidst a hectic schedule.

Obviously, you can adapt this recipe to what is locally and seasonally available to you. Your snap peas can be green instead of purple and if you only have shelled peas available to you, those will work, too! Other spring veg that would work in place of the snap peas include asparagus and caramelized pieces of roasted fennel. Whatever springtime veg you use, I hope you enjoy this recipe!

Want more spring recipe inspiration? Head here!

Lemon Butter Spaghetti with Purple Snap Peas & Pistachios

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Author: Courtney
Total Time: 35 minutes
Yield: 4 servings 1x

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Description

This vegan and gluten free lemon butter spaghetti with purple snap peas and crushed pistachios is like a bowl of springtime comfort food! A sprinkle of vegan feta gives it a salty, tangy finish.

Ingredients

Units Scale

1 pint (2 cups) sugar snap peas (check notes for alternatives!)
8 oz spaghetti (I used a GF one made with quinoa and corn)
8 tbsp vegan butter
1 minced shallot, about 4 tbsp
sea salt, to taste
zest of 1 lemon
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (you’ll need about 2 lemons)
1/2 cup crushed or finely chopped raw pistachios
1/4 – 1/2 cup crumbled vegan or regular feta cheese

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Instructions

Blanche your snap peas first: Remove the stem end of each snap pea. Cut each snap pea into two or three pieces so that they are bite-sized. Fill a large pot with water. Bring it to a boil, then add a good pinch of salt. Add all of your prepared snap peas to the boiling water. Allow them to blanche for just 1 minute before removing them, straining them, and setting them aside to cool. Feel free to use the same water for your spaghetti to eliminate waste.

Make the spaghetti: either using the water from your snap peas or using a fresh batch, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the spaghetti and cook it according to the package directions. Once it’s ready, strain it and set it aside.

Make the lemon butter sauce: while the spaghetti is cooking, start the sauce. Add the butter to a large skillet. Set the burner to just under medium heat. Once the butter fully melts, add the minced shallot and a small pinch of salt. Cook the shallot until it is beginning to turn translucent, about 2-4 minutes, then add the lemon zest. Cook for 1 minute then add the fresh lemon juice and another small pinch of salt. Cook the sauce for an additional minute then turn the heat to low until your spaghetti is ready.

Put everything together: Toss the cooked spaghetti and the blanched snap peas in the lemon butter sauce. Turn the heat up a bit to medium low to allow the dish to heat through. Once the temperature is to your liking, plate your spaghetti. Top each portion with about 2 tbsp of the crushed pistachios and 1-2 tbsp of the crumbled feta.

Enjoy!

Notes

You can use green snap peas instead of purple ones. You can also sub in an equal amount of shelled peas or diced asparagus. Please note that if you do use purple snap peas, they will react with the acid in the lemon juice and begin to turn a pinkish color! This won’t affect their taste, just the color.

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes