What I Made for Dinner as an Avid Gardener

As winter approaches and we’re faced with another year of determining what's for dinner, we're sharing a glimpse at how BHG readers gather for a meal. Welcome to our new series, Dinner Diaries, where we're asking readers to anonymously share how they get dinner on the table including grocery shopping, budgeting, cooking, and their favorite family recipes. Here, a two-person household relies on garden-fresh produce and well-stocked pantry to get dinner on the table.

Once a week.

$150 or under. I have a massive vegetable garden and a mini orchard. In the winter, our budget is maybe $170.

Yes. I meal plan, so unless it’s on the list I don’t buy it.

Busch’s and ALDI.

Myself, unless we’re grilling and then it's my husband.

Illustration: Corinne Mucha

For produce, we always have a variety of berries, apples, stone fruits, grapes, tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, mushrooms, onions, potatoes, and a variety of fresh greens including spinach, kale, mesclun greens, and Swiss chard. 

In the fridge, we keep eggs, cream cheese, butter, cheese including fresh mozzarella, homemade skyr, plain whole milk yogurt, and almond milk.

In the pantry we have nuts, brown rice, quinoa, farro, steel cut oats, orzo, dried beans including black beans and varietal mixed lentils, dried peas, dried mushrooms, teas, coffee, crushed tomatoes, salsa, yeast, and all varieties of flour from King Arthur Flour. We also have flavored olive oils, balsamic vinegars, and Penzeys spices. You'll also find cartons of chicken broth, seafood broth, beef broth, and consommé .

I always do the grocery shopping and the cleaning of our home. My husband does help with the upkeep on weekends and we share the outdoor chores including our massive vegetable garden and mini orchard.