With all the processing and chemical addition to our food, many of us are turning to homegrown foods for healthier meals and peace of mind. When GMO crops on a rise, there’s nothing better than being certain of what you put on your plate.
If you’d like to start growing some vegetables at home, the process is not complicated. All you need is good soil, seeds, and constant watering. But the question that arises is, which nutritious vegetables to grow?
If you’re going to go through the trouble of growing your own vegetables, it would make sense to want to optimize the nutritional return you get from them, right?
So, here are four vegetables the are nutritious and can easily be grown at home:
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Beet Greens
Ever wanted to make a green salad that packs more vitamins and nutrients than plain old lettuce? Beet greens might just be your answer. While the dark purple beet meat is nutritious in itself, people tend to make the mistake of throwing away the leafy green stalks that come attached to them.
These beet leaves pack a healthy dosage of vitamins that can be a great addition to your everyday meals. Not to mention they make for a colorful salad as well.
2. Spinach
If you’re striving for a healthier lifestyle, spinach isn’t only for quirky cartoon characters (Popeye anyone?). Spinach is a great source of vitamin C,K, Potassium, Zinc, and an array of other benefits too long to list here.
Spinach is an excellent green to grow at home and even survives winter weather! After planting it and taking care of it properly, you can quite literally start munching on the fruits of your labor in as little as a month. Check here for affordable healthy packs of spinach seeds to buy.
3. Watercress
Oh watercress. It’s little known and a well kept nutritional secret. Watercress is very good for you. There are tons of ways to use it in foods, including salads, pasta, breakfast casseroles, and even green juices in the mornings.
It’s even been used for medicinal purposes throughout history. Not only does it help in the healing process or as food, but it can even serve as acne medicine due to its antioxidant properties.
Watercress is easy to grow in the soil and sprouts during the warmer months, or you can plant it in some potting soil to keep indoors. Another great perk of the Watercress herb is that it’s a perennial plant, meaning once planted, it grows back year after year.
4. Chinese Cabbage
We’re all familiar with plain old cabbage, though Chinese cabbage is quite a step up from the usual. Whether you throw it in a stir fry, add it to your favorite tofu recipe, or like to eat it raw with a bit of dressing, when it comes to nutrition, it won’t disappoint.
Cabbage holds an impressive list of antioxidants, can help cardiovascular conditions, and to top it all off, it’s one of the most affordable vegetables out there.
Leading a nutritional lifestyle doesn’t have to be a hassle when you can get your hands on a few seeds, some patience, and a few creative recipes to enhance the flavor. With a little patience, time, and effort, you can start your own home-grown edible garden.
I planted spinach this year but we had so much rain I don’t know if the seeds washed away or rotted. I may throw some more seeds in the ground for a fall crop though. I love baby spinach raw or cooked, delicious.