A Look Back at 2025: Another Delicious, Nutritious Year of Garden-To-Kitchen
Polly Phillips
Health Educator
Taylor Holste
Assistant Nutrition Director
Cassie Cubilla
Health Educator
Bex Jones
Health Educator
For our expert health educators and kitchen specialists, 2025 was full of garden and kitchen makes, and some breaks. To round off the year, Bex, Cassie, Polly, and Taylor gathered to discuss another great year of Garden-to-Kitchen vlogs.
Planting seasons may vary depending on your planting zone. Because the Poe Center is located in central North Carolina, we plant in Zone 8a. To find your planting zone, go to https://planthardiness.ars.usda.gov/
The Poe Center’s onsite GrowWELL Garden planting space nearly doubled in size with the addition of concrete planters that line the garden gate. We experimented with companion planting, continued composting, learned to fight off new garden pests, and harvested ✨474 lbs✨ of produce, most of which was donated!
The CookWELL Kitchen flourished in 2025. In our Garden-to-Kitchen series, we explored new recipes and involved more family members in the cooking process. Involving family members in the cooking or garden process is a great way to teach food science and nutrition at every age, and our expert educators wanted to get their families involved too!
Through producing our monthly Garden-to-Kitchen how-to series, our educators both taught and learned a lot. From experimenting with recipes, to planting new produce, to connecting with our local food systems and communities, it was a great year. Watch our vlog superstars discuss the highlights of 2025!
The Poe Center’s onsite GrowWELL Garden planting space nearly doubled in size with the addition of concrete planters that line the garden gate. We experimented with companion planting, continued composting, learned to fight off new garden pests, and harvested ✨474 lbs✨ of produce, most of which was donated!
The CookWELL Kitchen flourished in 2025. In our Garden-to-Kitchen series, we explored new recipes and involved more family members in the cooking process. Involving family members in the cooking or garden process is a great way to teach food science and nutrition at every age, and our expert educators wanted to get their families involved too!
Through producing our monthly Garden-to-Kitchen how-to series, our educators both taught and learned a lot. From experimenting with recipes, to planting new produce, to connecting with our local food systems and communities, it was a great year. Watch our vlog superstars discuss the highlights of 2025!
2025 Recipes
Adapted from Cookie and Kate Strawberry Banana Bread.
Ingredients:
- ⅓ cup olive oil or melted coconut oil
- ½ cup honey or maple syrup
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup ripe bananas, mashed
- ½ cup strawberries, mashed
- ¼ cup milk/water
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 ¾ cups whole-wheat flour
- Optional: ½ cup mix-ins: nuts, chocolate chips, raisins, fresh fruit slices, etc.
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 325ºF and grease a 9×5 inch loaf pan.
- Beat honey and oil together with a whisk. Add the eggs and beat well, and then whisk in the mashed strawberries, bananas, and milk.
- Add the baking soda, vanilla, salt, and cinnamon. Whisk to blend.
- Using a big spoon, stir in the flour until just combined. Add in any mix-ins.
- Pour batter into the greased loaf pan.
- Bake for 55-60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. After taking bread out of the oven, let bread cool in the loaf pan for 10 minutes before moving it to a wire rack to cool.
Ingredients:
- 1 tomato, chopped
- 1 cucumber, chopped
- 1 bell pepper, chopped
- ½ cup chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 2 Tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- Optional, spicy: 1 chopped jalepeño pepper, with seeds
Instructions:
Stir ingredients until incorporated, and serve.
Adapted from How to Plant Strawberries | Garden-to-Kitchen
Ingredients:
- 1 cup fresh strawberries, greens removed
- 2 Tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 2 Tablespoons honey
- 2 Tablespoons lime juice
- 2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
Instructions:
- Put strawberries, red wine vinegar, honey, lime juice, olive oil, and salt into a food processor.
- Blend ingredients together until smooth. Scrape down the walls of the food processor to ensure everything is blended.
- Pour into a jar. Keep in the fridge for up to four to seven days.
Adapted from Rosemary, The Eternal Herb | Garden-to-Kitchen
Ingredients:
- 4 turnips, 2 beets, 4 potatoes, sliced into thin rounds
- 3 Tablespoons olive oil
- 1 ½ teaspoons garlic salt
- 1 ½ teaspoons dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- Preheat the oven to 425ºF for a conventional oven, or 400ºF for a convection oven. Measure the garlic salt, oregano, paprika, onion powder, and cayenne pepper into a small bowl and combine.
- Cut the root vegetables into rounds, roughly 1/4 inch in width or thinner. Try to cut as evenly as possible.
- Place the fries on the baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Toss to coat. Sprinkle the seasoning mix over the fries and toss to distribute evenly.
- Spread the fries out evenly on one or two baking sheets, making sure they don’t touch. Bake for 20 minutes. Flip the fries. Spread them out again, and bake for another 10 minutes or until crispy. Serve warm.
Lemon Rosemary Feta dip
Ingredients:
- 6 oz feta cheese
- ½ cup Greek yogurt
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- Juice of ½ lemon
- ¼ cup rosemary, chopped
- ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika
- Pinch of red pepper flakes
In a bowl mix ingredients until combined. Serve cold.
Inspired by EatFresh
Ingredients:
- 1 ½ Tablespoons onion powder
- 2 Tablespoons garlic powder
- ½ Tablespoon ground red pepper
- ½ Tablespoon chili powder
- ½ Tablespoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon ground thyme
Instructions:
- Mix all ingredients together to make ¾ cup seasoning.
- Store in an airtight container and use in place of seasoning salts.
- Use on your favorite protein. Serves six.
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