Planning for Potlucks

Almost every Sunday, I go to a friend’s house for a potluck.  I and several of my friends gather over soup, bread, salad, cake, what have you, accompanied by plenty of good conversation.  This is my favorite way to socialize with the nearest and dearest to my hearts and to unwind before I am back to the daily grind on Monday.  As I am vegan and many of my friends are vegetarian, most potlucks are rife with all kinds of sauteed, pureed, julienned, steamed, baked vegetables and fruits.  What could be more satisfying than eating a warm and wonderful meal full of fresh and abundant food among your closest friends?  If the vegetables and fruits have a story behind them, that is if you grew them yourself!

Growing your own fruits and vegetables is not as difficult as you may think.  If you are limited in amount of space you may grow vegetables and fruits in or have a lack of good soil, there are containers or strawbales to help you have a bountiful harvest.  You could experiment with trailing vines of peas, beans, melons, and squashes on trellises, perhaps even make an fruitful archway!  You could grow your vegetables in a traditional patch or even raised beds.  Perhaps you have limited space and do not want to go the container or strawbale gardening route, maybe you should try participating in a community garden project.  Community gardening is a great way to not only learn new garden skills and reap a substantial harvest, but it’s a great way to meet your neighbors and make new friends that have similar interests to your own.  It is usually quite inexpensive to rent a garden plot for a season, and you will make up for it by all the money you will save on food because you are growing your own!

How do you begin to create your own Eden in your backyard or at a community garden site?  WSU has the answer to all of your questions, and I do mean ALL of your questions.  From what to grow, how to grow it, the tools to use, the designs to use, the problems with growing, and more, the Home Gardens publication can tell you how.  Please go to the following link to learn more:  http://cru.cahe.wsu.edu/CEPublications/eb0422/eb0422.pdf

May your garden provide you with copious amounts of fruits and vegetables this season as well as the fodder for cheerful potlucks.

kale & red cabbage salad and roasted Brussels sprouts – photo by Rachel Mockler

🙂