Sowing Seeds of Hope

The Giving Garden is critical to our mission and not only serves as a vital source for fresh herbs and vegetables, but we use it to educate teens and adults about whole foods and the importance of organic vegetables. The Teen Summer Camp program involves garden time for nutrition education and enrichment. During the school year, adult and teen volunteers help the gardener maintain the space and tend the garden.

Meals 4 Health and Healing Giving Garden

This Valentine's Day, we want to share some of the enticing herbs we grow in our garden and use in our Meals 4 Health and Healing recipes. These herbs are not only good for you, but they will also bring warmth to your heart and soul!

Click below to read up on these delicious and nutritious herbs:

Valentine's Day Herbs

Valentine’s Herbs for Health and Healing

Basil

This sweet herb has a stimulating scent and delightful taste. It is also full of flavonoids, which “may have a protective effect against cancer,” according to the American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR). The herb is used in many of our popular dishes, including tomato-based and other sauces, salads, dressings, and marinades.

Ginger

We love ginger at Meals 4 Health and Healing. This warming herb comes from the root of the ginger plant, and it imparts a spicy, slightly sweet flavor and scent. Like garlic, ginger increases blood flow, warms you up, and increases your energy. It is also high in potassium, magnesium, and copper. It is a great anti-nausea substance and has anti-inflammatory effects.

Garlic

Don’t be afraid to indulge in garlic on Valentine’s Day! Garlic is great for your heart, and it has antimicrobial and anti-fungal properties. If you are concerned about garlicky breath on a Valentine’s date, read on for the benefits of parsley.

Parsley

We love growing parsley in our garden! Much more than a natural breath mint, parsley contains apigenine, which is a flavonoid that may play a role in preventing cancer. We use Italian parsley in our yummy healing broth, soups, dressings, and vegetable dishes.

Rosemary

Rosemary is rich in carnosol, a phytochemical that can slow cancer cell growth, strengthen immune functions, limit the production of cancer-related hormones, and work as an antioxidant, according to the AICR. Rosemary has an interesting piney flavor and can be used in a wide variety of dishes including roasted potatoes, marinades, and dressings. It is also great when mixed with thyme, oregano, and basil and added to avocado, grapeseed, and olive oil for a healthy flavor boost. Have time? Check out thyme!

Thyme

Thyme is a DELIGHTFULLY aromatic herb used in many of Meals 4 Health and Healing’s sauces, soups and stews, vegetable dishes, marinades, and main dishes. Thyme contains terpenoids, a group of phytochemicals that can work as antioxidants and may protect cells from cancer. We like it so much that we grow lemon thyme, orange thyme, and Italian oregano thyme in our Giving Garden!

Mint

Mint contains perillyl alcohol, which has been shown in lab studies to inhibit the growth of cancer cells, according to the AICR. Mint may also help to reduce digestive issues and nausea, something our clients may deal with during treatment. Try a little peppermint or spearmint in sparkling water on Valentine’s for EXTRA sparkle!

Now that your mouth is watering, try these tips for cooking with fresh and dried herbs. Don’t forget to volunteer at our Giving Garden to take home some of your own!

Always add fresh herbs, such as basil, at the very end of the cooking process to get the most flavor. It’s the opposite with dried herbs — add them at the beginning.
There’s a three-to-one ratio between fresh and dried herbs. So, if a recipe calls for one tablespoon of dried rosemary, use three tablespoons when it’s fresh.
To store fresh thyme, and other herbs, wash and dry thoroughly, snip off the ends, put them in water-filled jars, and refrigerate, changing the water weekly.

Garden Chat Articles

Container Gardening, Part 1

Container Gardening, Part 2

Seed Starting

Garden Zones, Seedlings, and Frost

Fall Gardening 2022

Garden Chat with Garden Manager, Missy and Nutrition Educator, Lexy

The first video in our garden video series, Garden Chat! Join Garden Manager Missy and Nutrition Educator Lexy as they introduce you to the Giving Garden and discuss the benefits of the versatile and ubiquitous Southern delight - tomatoes.

Thanks to Slow Food of Middle Tennessee for their support in funding this series!

Pruning Tomatoes

Did you know you needed to prune tomatoes? Garden Manager, Missy shows us how and why it is important.

Thanks to Slow Food of Middle Tennessee for their support in funding this series!

Growing Basil

Lets talk about growing basil in the garden!

Thanks to Slow Food of Middle Tennessee for their support in funding this series!

Butternut Squash

Join Garden Manager Missy and Lexy as they talk about the benefits of growing butternut squash.

Thanks to Slow Food of Middle Tennessee for their support in funding this series!

We Grow

We literally move from seeds in our organic Giving Garden to seeds of hope through our nutrient-dense meals that offer profound support and hope to people facing cancer. Working in our own garden, we grow quality, organic vegetables and herbs for use in our meals and share the value of organic gardening. We also have a growing, valuable network of area gardens, producers, farms, and markets who provide us wonderful in-kind donations of organic foods to supplement what we grow and purchase.