Bay leaf me, gardening is how I romaine calm!

I love puns and Parks and Rec, I just couldn't help myself! ;)

During these crazy times (I should keep a running counter on how many times I say things like this in these posts...) it is easy to get stressed out, not to mention straight up concerned about where your supply of organic vegetables is going to be coming from!

I decided to start a garden to manage the stress, and literally connect to where food comes from back in early April after the last major snow here in Chicagoland. What it has blossomed into has been amazing to experience!

Over the last few weeks I have been growing pumpkins, butternut squash, sage, red basil, zucchini, celery, tomatoes, kale, and potatoes (pictures above, in order top to bottom left to right).

I'm also growing arugula, spinach, broccoli, oregano, yellow bell peppers, radishes, carrots, onions, cilantro, jalapeno, thyme, basil, Brussels sprouts, and lettuce (I just didn't want to bore you with too many plant pictures!).

The major realization that I came to, aside from the fact that nature is seriously amazing, is that this is a missing component to my culinary school experience. Even one step further, dare I say a missing component to grade school and high school (at least where I grew up). Gardening should be part of our core curriculum as people. It just makes sense.

I went to Joliet Junior College, and only one chef there grew any of his own herbs in class (Master Chef Bucci, you are talented as hell!). Chefs in general do not garden or familiarize themselves with where our food comes from as much as they should, in my opinion. It has progressed a lot over the last few years in a positive way, for sure, but there is so much more we could be doing to appreciate our food! Watching my vegetables grow before my eyes, then turning them into dishes that let them really sing... well that just seems like the right way to do it. Such a rewarding experience. Hard work, lots of love, a little sweat, but most of all, a connection to something bigger. Through these challenging times I think that connection is even more important.

These little radishes turned into a delicious garnish for some tacos we had made. A simple pickling liquid sure did the trick with this one!

And the arugula makes my Leafy Green Pecan Parmesan Pesto have the perfect peppery bite. It's available for online ordering, just fill out the contact form by clicking here!

Here's a delicious sauteed chicken breast, stuffed with mascarpone, parmesan, and some of my fresh organic spinach from the garden. I served it over some of my handmade pasta, made a yummy chicken sauce from the fond in the pan, and topped with shards of parmesan, little leaves of my fresh baby red basil, and lots of lemon zest. Now if I could just get a lemon tree to grow and produce lemons... that might be one of the only things I'm missing in my garden!

Another garden fresh delicious treat, some of that zesty leafy green pesto with roasted carrots, zucchini, and shallots. It's a perfect side dish, or literally a meal on its own!

Ultimately, I feel like gardening during quarantine brought some serious inspiration to me in the form of beautiful plants, singing birds, fresh dirt smells, and my new favorite accessory: a gardening hat. I'm grateful for the many things I've learned in my little organic garden in the corner of the yard, and can't wait to continue to learn and grow under the shade of my floppy gardening hat (now if that isn't a metaphor for my goals in life, I don't know what is! ;) ).