Most people eat meals based on recurring themes. This is because meal planning is based on factors such as culture, diet, where you live and what you enjoy eating. Rather than stay in a rut, next time you are at the grocery store or farmers market, buy something different and learn to make a dish from it. You might also try growing something different in your own garden.
If you grow something new, you are more likely to eat the produce. Look through seed catalogs and garden supply stores, or ask friends and visit community seed exchanges to find and select something new. Try growing cassava, plantains, lemongrass or dragon fruit. As gardeners, we should try to grow new crops to test our understanding of plant growth and development and for the knowledge it brings. I am learning to growing asparagus from seeds. The plants are about a year old and should be ready for limited harvest sometime this fall.
The fear of growing a new crop and failing has stopped many gardeners from even trying. In addition, not knowing what to do with the new produce can add to the basic fears of failure. Take comfort and fear not because now is a great time to be gardening, as more information is available than ever before.
Cooperative Extension Service Agents are still around to provide answers to the many production issues that may arise.
The Master Gardeners are a dedicated group of garden-savvy volunteers trained by Cooperative Service Agents and University of Hawaii faculty to answer many of the basic home gardener questions you may have. And they are just a phone call away at 981-5199.
Perhaps the greatest garden support service we have today is the World Wide Web, where information is accessible to anyone with a computer or hand-held device. The downside to this source of information is the possibility you’ll find too many answers. For example, a search for “growing asparagus” yields millions of possible responses. A posting for assistance through any of the thousands of garden blogs can also result in numerous answers.
With all of the possible answers, how do you know which ones to trust?
With experience, you’ll learn how to weed out the bad advice. Start with reputable websites, such as those associated with Land Grant University Cooperative Extension Services, as their information is based on numerous experiments conducted by university faculty. You will find the most pertinent information by selecting universities with a similar climate to yours. In Hawaii, that would be the University of Hawaii at Manoa, College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources. After that, the University of Florida, Texas A&M University and University of California, Davis agriculture colleges all can be very helpful because of their semi-tropical climates.
Once you find information on the crop you plan to grow, obtain planting material and start growing. Remember to pay attention to your plants, looking for signs they are doing well or are in trouble. Consult your references to help guide you and don’t give up. In the meantime, research great menus that use what you are growing.
If you want to get children to eat more vegetables or try new ones, get them involved in growing them. When you take ownership of the crop, you are the proud producer, and it is more likely that you will try that crop. Pick a crop and grow it with your children or grandchildren and see what a difference it can make. Carrots are wonderful because they can be eaten even when they’re young.
Broccoli is fairly easy to grow and meal preparation is easy as it is a versatile vegetable. Freshly harvested florets gently steamed brings out a flavor that can’t be matched by frozen or store-bought broccoli. The leaves can also serve as a more tender substitute for collard greens.
Looking for ideas to freshen up your daily meal selections? Look no further than Mealani’s Taste of the Hawaiian Range slated for Friday at the Hilton Waikoloa Hotel. Thirty chefs will cook up treats made from local beef, pork, lamb, goats and mutton, paired with some of the best produce the island has to offer. Go to tasteofthehawaiianrange.com for more information.
For more information on this and other gardening topics, visit the CTAHR electronic publication website at ctahr.hawaii.edu/freepubs or visit any Cooperative Extension Service office. I can be reached at russelln@hawaii.edu.