What’s the big deal with bitter melon? I mean, it’s bitter even when it’s mature! What would compel someone to eat it? Believe it or not, this bumpy and sometimes spiky little vegetable has been eaten for centuries by various cultures around the world who have learned to embrace and even enjoy that bitterness. At the same time, they have also reaped its nutritional benefits. Read on to learn more about the benefits of bitter melon and how to enjoy eating it!

In the featured vegetable section of this newsletter, you read about how to grow Swiss Chard. In this article, you will learn about the many delicious ways that you can include Chard in your dinner menus. There are so many ways to enjoy this beautiful garden vegetable.

Those of you who have established strawberry plants may be harvesting them in June. And, those of you who do not have strawberry plants may be looking forward to enjoying the harvested strawberries beginning in June. And, to carry it one step further, those of you who want to have your own strawberries to harvest next June, should plant young plants in early June. Here is one recipe that makes it all worthwhile.

If you are lucky enough to have an asparagus bed in your garden, you will probably be able to start harvesting this tasty vegetable in April. And look for fresh asparagus in the stores in April, as well. There are so many fantastic ways to eat asparagus – raw or cooked. But here is our family favorite recipe.

This month’s Garden to Kitchen offering is a reprise of Joy Johnson’s Minestrone soup and Irish Soda Bread recipes. The first is a great way to use up those frozen vegetables from last year’s harvest. The second, is a nod to St. Patrick’s Day. Minestrone soup will help you do just that. Add some Irish soda bread for a great St. Patrick’s Day meal. And, now that winter has made a reappearance, a hearty soup and bread combo hits the spot.

Joy Johnson planted a variety pack of pepper seeds that produced an abundance of peppers. In this article, she provides a recipe for using the Poblano Peppers to make Chile Rellenos. She promises that the making is easy and the result is delicious!

Joy Johnson is a prolific vegetable grower. She has found this recipe for Chow Mein not only delicious but helpful in making use of the abundant vegetables in her cupboards. Whether using your own vegetable stash or those purchased at the grocery store, you will enjoy this recipe!

Have you ever been gifted with a vegetable that you didn’t know what to do with? Read this entertaining article to find out what Master Gardener Joy Johnson made with the large, round zucchini she received from a family member. Her clever recipe will inspire you!

Fall is here, and Joy Johnson’s garden is harvested. She picked and stored her veggies with the best intentions to use them all at their peak of ripeness. But when she found a long, skinny eggplant that she forgot about in the bottom drawer of her refrigerator, she made sure not to waste it. Read Joy’s hearty eggplant recipe that tastes great.

Too many tomatoes? Basil that needs a recipe? This month’s Vegetable Section features “Lasagna soup” that uses both garden vegetables. As fall days become cooler, we can all use a comforting, hearty soup.

Root veggies are popular to grow in home gardens, easy to store, and very nutritious. This “Root Veggie Tart” was a winner with Joy Johnson’s entire family. A delicious and nutritious vegetable treat with fresh or stored root veggies.

As fall harvest season arrives, the challenge is to create or try new recipes to fully appreciate the array of tastes available to us. As always, Master Gardener Joy Johnson is ready with recipes, this time, salads that help us to hang on to summer. And just to make sure that you use the abundant apple crop available to us now, she provides a scrumptious apple-centered dessert bar. Let your mouth water while reading these delicious recipes.