Becky Porter is a staunch advocate for taking control of mealtime by growing seasonal produce. Based in Arkansas, she tends a more than 3000-square-foot garden that produces enough in the way of fruit and vegetables to feed her family throughout the year.
She also calls herself “a sucker for colorful produce.” You’ll find her plot brimming with purple Molly Magic potatoes, Chinese pink celery and black Nebula carrots—a vibrant selection of vegetables that she also turns into eye-catching food art on her Instagram account.
We spoke to Porter about why you should consider growing seasonal produce at home, how your garden can prosper through the winter months, and the inspiration behind her food art.
Grow Seasonal to Stay Healthy
Porter was inspired to begin growing her own produce after tasting some strawberries her mom grew. But it was the onset of chronic stomach pains and vicious acid reflux that she vowed to “take more responsibility for my health and ownership over what I was eating.” To that end, Porter vowed to cut out processed food and grow the majority of the vegetables her family ate.
“After a few years of living this way, the health issues I was dealing with almost entirely disappeared,” she says.
The Importance of Eating Seasonally
“Seasonal” has become a buzzword we hear all the time these days, but what are the genuine benefits of eating this way? According to Porter, seasonal produce has higher nutritional value and also packs way more punch in the way of flavor.
“Another important aspect to consider with seasonal eating is it allows you to eat locally and from your garden all year,” she adds. “Sourcing food closer to home is better for the environment, supports local farmers and reduces food waste.”
How to Embrace the Winter Months
Summer is a bountiful time for homegrown produce, but how can you stay committed to growing and eating seasonally during the frosty winter months?
According to Porter, it’s important to figure out what produce can thrive in your immediate environment and climate. In her case, sweet potatoes are a cold-month staple, as is butternut squash, which she stores through to spring.
“In addition to those, I have low tunnels filled with kale, bok choy, collards, Brussels sprouts, carrots and spinach,” she says. “Another important part of our winter diet is produce that was preserved all through the summer growing season. We preserve by canning, dehydrating, fermenting and freezing the garden bounty.”
Creating Food Art
If you check out Porter’s Instagram account, you’ll see that it brims with colorful pictures of food art. As a professional oil painter with a Bachelor of Fine Art degree, Porter has always considered both gardening and art as “forms of relaxation and natural therapy.” Naturally, it wasn’t long before she fused her two passions together.
“When I create food art, I will usually go out and pick all the produce that is ready before I begin,” she explains. “That gives me an idea of what color scheme and shapes I’m working with, and then I create something out of it. After that, it usually takes about an hour to complete.”
Start Growing Seasonal Produce Today
If you’ve considered starting a small produce garden but haven’t quite gotten around to it, Porter says the best motivation is to take the plunge and “just start!” She advises making a list of some favorite fruits and vegetables and doing some light research to learn how best to plant them.
“Plants by nature want to set fruit and seeds in order to ensure they go on another generation,” she says. “A beginning gardener can take comfort in that fact and know that no matter what they do—right or wrong—the plant has a natural propensity to want to grow and produce fruit.”
Follow Becky Porter over at Instagram.
