Protein power: Grow plant-based protein in your own garden

Welcome, everyone. Are you concerned about food insecurity for your family, or perhaps missing crucial proteins (from the Greek word protos, meaning first) in your diet due to the lack of affordability of traditional animal protein sources?

The answer may be as close as your humble but mighty garden. Let’s explore some power-punching plants with significant protein content, creating the building blocks our bodies need. Some distinct homegrown advantages include focusing on plant-based proteins you can grow, which offer diverse nutrients and health benefits; easing food insecurity; producing foods that are healthier and lower in calories; allowing you to control and connect with your own food; and growing fresh, nutrient-dense produce.

A newer term you may have heard is “flexitarian,” which describes a mostly plant-based diet that occasionally includes meat, combining flexibility with vegetarian principles. This approach emphasizes fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes and nuts, while reducing meat intake. An average adult should reportedly consume approximately 55 grams of protein daily.

Plants to consider growing include edamame, or vegetable soybeans, which are young green soybeans harvested before fully ripening. They are a complete protein containing nine essential amino acids. Varieties such as Midori Giant or Envy are good choices for fresh eating. Other options include dried beans, peas and lentils such as mung beans and chickpeas, greens including spinach, kale and collards, vegetables such as corn, asparagus, cauliflower, broccoli and Brussels sprouts, seeds like sunflower and pumpkin seeds, and whole grains such as quinoa, a complete protein, or amaranth, which is rich in magnesium.

The benefit of all these plants is that they can be grown and harvested from spring, with leafy greens and asparagus, through the summer growing season, and into fall with Brussels sprouts and pumpkin seeds. For an indoor winter hobby, try growing vegetable sprouts or planting trendy microgreens, which are young edible seedlings packed with concentrated nutrients.

Remember the saying, “We are what we eat”? Let’s tweak that to read, “We are what we grow.” Be a proactive gardener. Don’t settle for the trap of complacency.

Herb of the Year

Here in Garden Nation at the Medina Garden Branch, there is nothing gardeners won’t attempt to grow, so let’s grow a plant known as the “golden spice of life,” better known as turmeric (Curcuma longa), the National Herb Society’s Herb of the Year for 2026.

Turmeric is a tropical plant related to ginger and cardamom and has been used and traded for more than 6,000 years throughout Asia, particularly in India and China. It has deep cultural roots due to its culinary uses and numerous health benefits, with more still being discovered today. Its fleshy yellow-orange roots, called rhizomes, are botanically considered a spice but are often used as an herb when seasoning foods.

Turmeric is easy to propagate and grow in Ohio by following a few simple steps. Start with fresh roots, not store-bought. Cut the rhizomes into 2-inch pieces and allow the fresh cuts to scab over. Plant them in pots with good potting soil. Mimic their native tropical temperatures by placing pots on heating mats and providing adequate moisture. Once the plant is growing and the danger of frost has passed, turmeric can be placed outdoors in the garden. The plant is cold- and frost-sensitive, so harvest both the plant and roots before cold weather arrives. Use the largest rhizomes for fresh use and save smaller ones for replanting the following season.

A church sign once read, “How do we make holy water?” The answer: “We boil the hell out of it.”

Until next time, peace.