My Favorite Ingredients from My New Vegetable Garden Are Coming Soon
Anyone who knows me is aware of my deep love for vegetables. My clients also know about my passion for choosing seasonal, organic, and sustainable ingredients. Up until now, I've always sourced my produce from local farms in the Bay Area or farmer's markets. But finally, starting this year, I will be able to add some ingredients grown with love in my own new vegetable garden.
During the winter months, I contacted a company called Flora Farm Landscaping to help me create my garden space. This small business is run by a father and son who are true enthusiasts of natural landscaping in the Californian style, using materials like wood and stone. With their help, I designed my garden to be protected from moles, squirrels, rabbits, and deer. Living in nature is wonderful, but if you want to cultivate anything, you must defend your plants from the hungry animals that share this space with you.
Once the work was completed, it was finally time to start planting and transplanting my first vegetables in Woodside!
The idea that, in the coming months, I will be able to cook with ingredients from my garden fills me with excitement. My family has always had a large garden and even a field dedicated to potatoes and corn. For me, working the land, caring for it, and then cooking its produce is the most natural way to create delicious dishes with authentic flavors that are also healthy and rich in nutrients that support our lives.
Having my own little vegetable garden here in California, where I now live, is a way to feel at home and continue cultivating the knowledge and love for gardening that my family has passed down and taught me.
Moreover, having a personal vegetable garden is also a small step towards food sustainability, helping our planet in its own little way.
Of course, it’s also crucial to avoid using pesticides or herbicides, relying solely on natural methods to obtain healthy and tasty vegetables. As fertilizer, I use compost derived from my chickens, and if I need to keep pests or diseases away from my plants, I use remedies such as nettle or onion and garlic maceration, depending on the issue. These are easy to prepare at home and are non-invasive to nature.
I can't wait to see the first fruits of my labor grow and to finally cook traditional Italian dishes with fresh, healthy, and delicious vegetables from my Californian garden.
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