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growfood

Lemon Verbena & Peach Sorbet – A Little Taste of Summer!

Lemon Verbena & Peach Sorbet – A Little Taste of Summer!

November 8, 2026 | ,

There is something about summer fruit that makes me ridiculously happy! After months of watching our fruit trees wake up, flower and slowly develop their fruit, we finally get to enjoy the harvest. And what better way to celebrate summer than with something homemade, refreshing and absolutely delicious?

Today we're taking one of my favourite fragrant herbs, lemon verbena, and pairing it with juicy summer peaches to make a beautiful homemade sorbet. If you've never used lemon verbena in a dessert before, you're in for a treat. Its lovely citrus fragrance works beautifully with the sweetness of stone fruit, and you don't need an ice cream machine to make this recipe.

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Lemon Balm Syrup – A Little Summer in a Bottle!

Lemon Balm Syrup – A Little Summer in a Bottle!

November 8, 2026 | ,

Lemon balm is one of those herbs that deserves a little more attention. It has the most beautiful, gentle lemon fragrance, and if you've ever rubbed a leaf between your fingers, you'll know exactly what I'm talking about.

Unlike lemons, which have that sharp, acidic flavour, lemon balm is softer, slightly sweet and wonderfully aromatic. And if your lemon balm is growing happily, you'll soon have more leaves than you know what to do with! So, instead of letting all that lovely growth go to waste, let's make a simple homemade lemon balm syrup. The beauty of this recipe is that you can use the same syrup for a refreshing summer cordial or turn it into delicious homemade ice lollies.

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Bush Beans vs. Pole Beans

Bush Beans vs. Pole Beans

November 10, 2025 |

Why I Always Go Back to My Faithful Contender Bush Beans There’s something wonderfully simple about growing beans. They’re quick to germinate, rewarding to harvest, and they somehow make the veggie garden feel instantly productive. But not all beans are created equal...

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TikTok swears by it… but does banana water really work?

TikTok swears by it… but does banana water really work?

November 9, 2025 |

If you’re like me, you hate wasting good kitchen scraps and you’re always wondering, “Can I use this in the garden?” Lately, banana water — or banana peel tea — has been popping up all over social media. Some call it the ultimate natural fertilizer. Others (especially...

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Is It Cheaper to Grow Your Own Food?

Is It Cheaper to Grow Your Own Food?

October 29, 2025 |

People are always asking me, “Tash, is it cheaper to grow your own food?”And my honest answer?No — not always. When we started growing our own food, it wasn’t because it was cheaper. It was because of a diagnosis that changed everything about how we saw food, health,...

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Cross-Pollination in the Garden: Should You Worry?

Cross-Pollination in the Garden: Should You Worry?

September 8, 2025 |

What Really Happens When You Plant the Same Veggies Together in One Bed One of the most common questions I get from our VanZylStead community is: “If I plant two different varieties of the same veggie in one bed, will they cross-pollinate? Will my harvest turn out...

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Planning your Container Garden

Planning your Container Garden

August 24, 2025 |

Growing Food in Small Spaces: My Love for Container Gardening When I first started gardening, I thought I needed a big patch of land, raised beds, and endless rows of veggies to really make it work. But here’s the truth I discovered along the way: you don’t need much...

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What Is Square Foot Gardening?

What Is Square Foot Gardening?

July 23, 2025 |

How You Can Grow More Veggies in Just a Few Squares When we first started growing food at VanZylStead, I always thought a big garden meant long rows and a lot of space. But over time, I’ve seen just how clever square gardening can be — especially if you’re short on...

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Planning your Container Garden

Why Are My Veggie Containers Struggling?

July 23, 2025 |

If you've ever planted up a container with high hopes—only to be met with sad lettuce, yellowing leaves, or a tomato plant that just gives up—you are not alone. Trust me, I've been there. In fact, some of my early container gardens were more like sad experiments than...

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Salmonella on Tomatoes?

Salmonella on Tomatoes?

May 6, 2025 |

Why I Grow My Own: A Look at the Recent Tomato Recall in the U.S. Every now and then, something in the news reminds me exactly why I plant, water, weed, and harvest my own food — even if it’s just a few beds in the backyard. This week, it was the tomato recall in the...

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Self watering bed with higher yields?

Self watering bed with higher yields?

December 11, 2024 |

One of the most common questions I receive from our followers is about ensuring that garden beds receive adequate water during the growing season. Plants like tomatoes and cucumbers thrive on consistent moisture levels, which are essential for achieving a high yield....

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