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Growing Together:
Food, Family and Friends
This year, we are exploring growing together. We can grow healthy food together while we grow closer as a family or a community. This month we explore herbs, make a pizza and feed the birds.
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Julie Garden-Robinson, Ph.D., R.D., L.R.D., Food and Nutrition Specialist
Kim Bushaw, M.S., Family Science Specialist
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EAT
Grow some culinary herbs!
During colder months, we can have fresh edible greens growing in our kitchens. Many culinary herbs grow well indoors, including basil, chives, parsley, thyme, mint and oregano. You can start your herbs indoors and plant them outdoors in a garden or pot when the weather warms.
To grow herbs, you will need a container at least 6 inches deep with holes in the bottom (for good drainage). Use a separate container for each type of herb. You’ll also need well-draining, pasteurized potting mix. A sunny windowsill with exposure to about five hours of light per day is ideal. Herbs also will grow if they get 10 daily hours of fluorescent lighting. Use a warm and cool bulb in your grow light.
Pick out seeds or small herb plants from a garden shop. Plant seeds as directed on the package, and leave about an inch of space at the top of the container to allow for watering. Treat your potted herbs like houseplants. Water them regularly, but don’t overwater. Snip them often so they will grow full and lush.
While mature herbs won’t appear overnight, in time you’ll have flavorful additions for your cooking. To use herbs, rinse them well under running water and chop them into tiny pieces. The idea is to expose as much of their surface area as possible. Use fresh herbs to create delicious pizzas or use the crust to make focaccia bread with fresh herbs.
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Margherita Pizza
1/2 pound store-bought pizza dough or 1 large premade pizza crust
1½ cups tomato-based pizza sauce of choice
6 to 8 ounces (dry weight) fresh mozzarella balls, ideally water-packed
Fresh tomato slices (optional)
Handful of fresh basil, thinly sliced plus small leaves (add after baking)
Optional: extra-virgin olive oil and red pepper flakes
Preheat the oven to 500 degrees Fahrenheit with a rack in the upper third of the oven. If you’re using a baking stone or baking steel, place it on the upper rack. Spread the crust with sauce. Drain mozzarella balls if packed in water and place toward the center of the crust because the cheese will melt and run. Tear or cut the mozzarella into smaller balls if needed. Bake pizza(s) for 10 to 12 minutes. Top with basil, olive oil and pepper flakes if desired.
Nutritional value varies with your ingredient choices.
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Connect
Growing activity: Do you enjoy green or red bell peppers on your pizza or salad? Did you know you can grow them indoors, too? Children enjoy learning about and tending plants. They are even more likely to eat things they have grown. To grow peppers indoors, you will need a soil that is 1/3 vermiculite, 1/3 peat moss and 1/3 coarse sand. Purchase it this way, or mix your own. You will not need a lot for a 6-inch pot. Use 2-3 seeds in each pot. Peppers need direct sunlight, a constant temperature, water and some positive conversations. Tip: your “hesitant” reader can read to the pepper plant for uninterrupted practice.
Family activity: Birds will appreciate your family taking care of theirs by putting out some homemade bird feeders. Collect large pinecones on your next nature walk, clean the debris off and add a yarn, string or pipe cleaner hanger. Slather on inexpensive peanut butter (or shortening if there are peanut allergies), and roll the pinecones in birdseed. Hang the bird feeders high in your trees on thin branches or you will be feeding the squirrels, too. Watch and record who comes to enjoy the food. Replace with fresh pinecones as they empty.
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Last year The Family Table newsletter offered tips on mindfulness in the form of getting quality sleep, physical activities including video game suggestions, laughter, manners, relaxation station, listening walks, being grateful, beginning with breakfast, a calming jar, eating outdoors, walking a labyrinth, and staying well.
To find any issue you may have missed, go to www.ndsu.edu/agriculture/extension/family-table
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You can use fresh herbs in any recipe that calls for dried herbs. As a rule of thumb, use about three times as many fresh herbs as dried. In hot dishes, such as soups and stews, add fresh herbs, such as basil, chives and cilantro, close to the end of the cooking time.
In cold dishes, such as salads with dressings, add herbs several hours ahead of time to allow flavors to meld. You can dry fresh herbs in a microwave or a food dehydrator. See www.ag.ndsu.edu/fieldtofork to learn more about the specifics of growing and preserving herbs.
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