Using Food as a War Tactic

This is a topic that has been on my heart and at the front of my mind for several weeks, but I haven’t known how to start writing about it. As a writer, I like to have an outline prepared before starting a post. It helps with finding the direction of an article and keeps me from getting distracted. But with this topic, even the outline has been a struggle. So, I ask for your patience and grace with this blog post.

Food Is Sacred

The statement “Food is sacred” seems pretty odd, and perhaps it is. Food is a necessity to life, but it’s something that the majority of people in North America and Europe likely take for granted. I’ve never had to worry if there’d be food for my next meal. Even in my darkest moments, I knew there were family members and friends who would lend a hand if needed. But that’s not the situation for everyone. According to the Global Report on Food Crises, there were 295 million people in the world who faced acute levels of hunger in 2024. Unfortunately, that was an increase of nearly 14 million over 2023. In spite of modern advancements, food insecurity is becoming a larger issue.

War’s Butterfly Effect on Food

Droughts, economic shifts, weather extremes, and wars have been direct causes of this insecurity. We may not be able to immediately solve the climate issues that lead to disruptions in the food supply chain, but what is unacceptable is how people’s ability to access food is being directly and indirectly affected by conflict. I see the indirect effect happening as a result of the Ukrainian War, where the conflict has disrupted grain production. Prior to Russia’s invasion, Ukraine was the seventh-largest exporter of wheat, with African and European nations being the most dependent on it. When the war started, trade routes were cut off, causing prices to soar, and the countries that depend on those exports were forced to find alternatives. Thankfully, new trade routes have been established, which has helped to ease the burden a bit, but the nation is still exporting less wheat than before the war. And that doesn’t cover the war’s impact on their barley and sunflower harvest. Prior to the war, they were the fourth-largest barley exporter and the largest exporter of sunflowers.

From 2023, a year after the war started, to 2024, there was a seven percent decrease in cultivated land in Ukraine. Also, 81.4 percent of farmers near the frontline of the war reported decreased yields year-over-year. Eighty-six percent of farmers saw production costs rise, and 18 percent said that their fields were affected by mines and other unexploded ordnances. That is the same tragic reality that Cambodia, Laos, and parts of Africa still deal with as the result of warfare. Finally, labor shortages in Ukraine have caused issues for the supply chain. And remember that a lot of the effects I’m writing about are indirect. Yes, life in Ukraine is much different now than it was prior to Russia’s invasion in early 2022, but at the same time, the nations that rely on European grain to survive also feel the impact of the war. Often, these nations are ones already on the verge of food insecurity, further escalating the problem and leading to starvation. But what about when a people group’s ability to access food is directly attacked during a war?

Using Starvation as a Weapon of War

The use of starvation as a war tactic has probably been used since mankind’s first conflict. It makes sense: humans are evil, and one of the most efficient ways to weaken and ultimately destroy your enemy is to deprive them of life’s necessities. If a group of people can’t eat, they don’t have the energy and nutrients to fight back or resist. In the United States, this was a tactic used by the federal government in its handling of the Native Americans.

Although there were many instances of this, the most famous was the Trail of Tears, which is the name given to the forced movement of members of the Cherokee, Muscogee, Seminole, Chickasaw, and Choctaw nations from their ancestral lands in the southeast to designated land west of the Mississippi River. Between 1830 and 1850, 60,000 people were displaced via the Indian Removal Act, which was signed into law by Andrew Jackson. It resulted in the deaths of thousands of Native Americans, not to mention the destruction of their culture. It was called the Trail of Tears because they were forced to walk the entire way, a distance of more than 2,000 miles. Unsurprisingly, starvation was one of the tactics used to murder the Native Americans in what we now label genocide and ethnic cleansing.

Advancing forward in history, starvation was a tactic deployed during World War I and II and by nations on both sides of the wars. There was some legal pushback against the tactic following World War I when the Allies attempted to prosecute the Central Powers for starvation tactics; however, the effort fell short. Later, after World War II, senior Nazi leaders were convicted of war crimes, including the starvation of prisoners of war, but the attempt to prosecute the Nazis for starvation as an act of war led to acquittals. Following the Allies’ victory in World War II, the Geneva Conventions were agreed upon to establish international humanitarian law during warfare. Specifically, they were designed to protect civilians (aka non-combatants) in wars. Unfortunately, for as good as the intentions were, the reality was that the Geneva Conventions didn’t establish a legal system for hearing cases when the laws were being violated. And even though amendments to the Geneva Conventions banned starvation as a war tactic in 1977, it remained decriminalized.

That finally changed in 1998 when the Rome Statute took place, establishing the International Criminal Court (ICC). The ICC is a permanent court with the jurisdiction to prosecute those found guilty of international crimes in four areas: genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and the crime of aggression. Finally, there was legal precedent to prosecute the use of starvation as a method of warfare. In 2019, an amendment was added that further extended the definition by criminalizing it when used intentionally in non-international conflicts. Previously, it only applied to instances that took place in international warfare. This was a game-changer, as a large percentage of forced starvation takes place in civil conflicts in places such as Sudan, Nigeria, and other African nations.

But even the Rome Statute and the ICC have their shortcomings. Not only is starvation a notoriously difficult crime to prosecute, but the ICC can only operate in nations that are signed parties to the Rome Statute. As of June 2025, there were 125 signed parties, which is more than half the number of recognized nations in the world, which is somewhere between 188 and 205. All of South America and most of Europe are signed parties; however, notably absent are the United States, Russia, China, much of West Asia, including Israel, and many countries from Africa. This is likely unsurprising to most people who are aware of what’s going on internationally. We can assume why the majority of these nations have never become signed states.

Two of the most prominent people currently under indictment by the ICC are Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Putin has been indicted for two war crimes related to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Netanyahu has been indicted for war crimes and crimes against humanity, including the use of starvation, during the Gaza War. Because neither nation is a signatory to the Rome Statute, it’s unlikely they’ll ever face trial; however, their indictments limit their ability to travel, as other nations have the authority to arrest and transport them to The Hague to face trial. Additionally, of all the people who have been indicted by the ICC, only Netanyahu and his former minister of defense, Yoav Gallant, face charges of starvation. That only further affirms the difficulty of charging and prosecuting someone for these crimes.

Targeting Food as a Means of Destroying Culture

All of the above examples, whether in an organized invasion like what’s happening in Ukraine or a 19th-century death march, have one thing in common: The goal of destroying and removing a culture and people group. By deliberately blocking a group’s ability to access food, the intention is not just to win the conflict but to reduce or altogether wipe out a group’s population. Another way of describing this is ethnic cleansing. That may seem like an exaggeration, but the facts support it. Let’s look at what’s been happening in Palestine.

It feels like the conflict between Israel and Palestine over land has been a constant. And I guess that is the case, to an extent. But the current conflict started in Oct. 2023 when Hamas launched attacks on civilians at a music festival. I was on board with Israel defending itself at the time, especially because the victims of that attack were civilians. However, in the two-plus years that have followed, Israel’s response has moved from a defensive posture to one that is an all-out attack. They are no longer simply reacting to attacks they receive but instead are being the aggressor and are committing acts in line with ethnic cleansing. Roughly 1,200 were killed in the Hamas attacks; more than 70,000 have been killed by Israel in Gaza, and around 80 percent have been civilians.

Targeting the Olive Harvest

Since the Oct. 2023 attacks, the Israeli government has been ramping up its placement of Israeli “settlers.” These settlers are Israeli civilians living in illegal settlements located in the West Bank as a way to assert Israel’s claim on the land. The settlements are also protected by the Israeli military. The settlers are typically armed and attack Palestinian civilians, often leading to death. And even though the majority of the world sees their presence as illegal, the settlements continue to grow and spread.

One way the settlers have been targeting Palestinian culture is through the descruption of agriculture. In Dec. 2025, PBS published a report on the attacks, going into great detail how the attacks target Christian and Muslim Palestinians; their religion is irrelevant to the settlers. During attacks last fall, the settlers targeted the annual olive harvest that represents the livelihood for a large percentage of Palestinians living in the West Bank. In some cases, the trees and groves were burned. In others, the farmers were too afraid to go to their trees, which meant ripe olives were left to rot on the trees. Sure, the destroyed trees can be replanted, but when an olive tree takes a decade to reach maturity, it’s not a quick or simple solution. These farmers are the victims of a war they aren’t actively participating in; another example in a long line of civilians who pay a price that should never be asked of them.

Destroying a Seed Bank

Last July, the Israeli military carried out an operation of raiding and demolishing part of the Palestinian Seed Bank in Hebron. The facility housed equipment, tools, and the seeds that were being preserved and reproduced in an effort to secure food systems. The bank’s goal was to ensure a future with a food system that was independent rather than being controlled by the Israeli military and government. Somehow, this never made the mainstream news in the United States, which isn’t surprising. Elsewhere, the attack was criticized, with La Via Campesina (a global organization representing small-scale farmers) putting out the following statement:

This attack on UAWC seed bank is not an isolated incident. It is the second direct assault on UAWC in recent years, part of a broader colonial strategy to uproot Palestinian communities, displace Indigenous farmers, and suppress any form of self-determination.

When an aggressor is attempting to permanently dislodge a people group from ancestral lands and remove any serious ability to control their own food systems, we have a word for that: genocide. While the mainstream media in the United States and our country’s current leaders refuse to acknowledge this, global leaders are calling attention to it. In Sep. 2025, the United Nations’ Human Rights Office released the findings of an independent investigation. It concluded that Israel was guilty of committing four of the five acts of genocide as defined by the 1948 Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide. The acts were killing, causing serious bodily or mental harm, deliberately inflicting conditions of life calculated to bring about the destruction of the Palestinians in whole or in part, and imposing measures intended to prevent births.

The use of starvation and the targeting of food systems as war tactics are intertwined in the last two acts. It’s obvious that the Israeli government’s goal is to bring about the destruction of the Palestinian culture and people. Thankfully, though, people are sharing stories of what’s taking place in the West Bank and in Gaza, so ignorance is no longer an excuse. At the same time, we’re also learning of how Palestinians are preserving their culture, and it’s a tale of resilience.

March 20, 2026 0

Our 2026 Garden Seeds: Tomatoes

In the final installment for my series highlighting the garden seeds we ordered for our 2026 garden, I’m going over tomatoes. I think we ordered more tomato varieties than any other vegetable. Below, I am including links to the previous installments of the series. Plus, here’s a post that showcases all of the seeds we ordered.

Links to Other Seeds:

Tomatoes

We’re changing up nearly all of our tomatoes from 2025. We had pretty good success with most of them, but we wanted to experience new varieties. In fact, the only variety that isn’t new is the Roma seeds we ordered. In choosing our tomato seeds, we wanted a large range of tomatoes, including multiple cherry tomatoes, paste tomatoes, and slicing tomatoes. One thing we didn’t want was tomatoes of unique or uncommon colors. Last year, we grew yellow pear tomatoes and found it difficult to see the ripe ones in the midst of the leaves. So this year, we’re only growing red tomatoes. I love tomatoes and want to grow as many as we can. I loved being able to make fresh pasta sauce last year and want to take that further this year by being able to can some.

Aichi First

A Japanese heirloom that originated in 1938 in the Aichi Prefecture, the Aichi First variety is a midseason that I would categorize as a slicing or salad tomato with fruits of around a half-pound. This tomato grows on indeterminate plants that mature in 80-90 days. Our seeds came from Baker Creek.

Early Cherry

This cherry tomato variety is one of the earliest ones to ripen in the garden. Its fruit grow in clusters of five on determinate plants. The flavor is described as “robust” and “full.” Successfully grows even in cool weather. These seeds were bought from Territorial.

Heinz

Yes, this tomato’s name is connected to the H.J. Heinz Co. This specific strand, the 1350 VF, was developed by the company in 1963. It’s a paste tomato with excellent processing attributes, making it great for canning and cooking into sauce. Grows on determinate plants, which produce 4-to-6-ounce round fruits, unlike the plum shape of Romas. These tomatoes come from Southern Exposure.

Korean Long

A Korean heirloom that is categorized as a paste tomato, the Korean Long tomato has a unique shape that is elongated (like a plum tomato) with a curved tail that comes to a point. Even though it’s a paste tomato, it has an excellent flavor when eaten fresh. A very meaty tomato that can weigh up to one pound each. Grows on indeterminate plants. These seeds came from Baker Creek.

Large Red

This is an old American heirloom that dates back to the pre-Civil War days, when it was listed in the 1843 Shaker seed company, which was based in their village in New Lebanon, New York. It quickly became one of the most popular varieties sold in the country. The indeterminate plants produce large 2×4-inch round tomatoes that have heavy ribbing rather than a smooth surface. Like most tomatoes with a storied past, the Large Red has a complex flavor that is sweet and tangy. These seeds come from Southern Exposure. And if you want to learn more about Shakers, their villages, and their businesses, check out this video from Kendra Gaylord.

Little Bing

We were drawn to this cherry tomato variety because of Chandler…Bing! As you can probably guess based on the name, Little Bing is a compact plant that will thrive in containers and top out at 24 inches tall. It produces lots of red cherry-sized tomatoes that are flavorful. It’s also an early-season variety that matures in 60 to 65 days. Our seeds came from Pinetree Gardens.

Martino’s Roma

When people think about tomatoes for making sauce, I’m confident that two varieties come to mind: San Marzano and Roma. Martino’s Roma is an Italian heirloom that is a perfect paste tomato. It’s a determinate variety, and the plants don’t need cages, just minimal staking. The plants produce 2-to-3-ounce fruits that are dry and meaty with few seeds. It’s a perfect variety for sauces, pastes, and salsas. Our seeds came from Baker Creek.

Mountaineer Pride

Although Mountaineer Pride isn’t an heirloom, it is the descendant of a variety that was developed in 1963 called West Virginia 63. Mountaineer Pride and its predecessor were developed by West Virginia University professor Mannon Gallegly. Mountaineer Pride wasn’t released until 2017, but it was now larger and with better disease resistance than the original variety. It grows on indeterminate vines with medium-sized fruits that have firm skin and store well. These seeds came from Southern Exposure.

Sub Arctic Plenty

This tomato is one of the earliest varieties to reach maturity, doing so in only 60 days. It was developed in Canada, so you can feel confident that it will grow in cool weather and late springs. It’s a determinate plant, and they can be planted close together so that staking isn’t needed. The fruit grow in clusters of two-ounce tomatoes, so bigger than a cherry but smaller than a salad tomato. These seeds came from Pinetree Gardens.

Umpqua Beauty

The images of these tomatoes in the Territorial seed catalog and on their website show one of the most beautiful tomatoes I’ve ever seen. They’re perfectly round with smooth, vibrant red skin and pink flesh with few cavities. The Umpqua Beauty comes from the Umpqua River Valley in southern Oregon, and both were named for the Umpqua Native American tribe that has lived there for more than a thousand years. The tomato is a determinate variety with fruit that can grow up to two pounds and are versatile. It is great as a slicing tomato on sandwiches and salads and also makes a great paste tomato due to the low number of seed cavities it has. I’m very excited to grow these.

And there you have it: Our 2026 collection of seeds. Were there any that stood out? Are you growing any of the same varieties or are there any that you think we should grow?

March 17, 2026 6

Our 2026 Garden Seeds: Pumpkins & Squash

In a continuation of my series highlighting the garden seeds we ordered for our 2026 garden, I’m going to combine two vegetables into one post. This post will go over our pumpkin and squash seeds. Below, I am including links to the previous installments of the series. Plus, here’s a post that showcases all of the seeds we ordered.

Links to Other Seeds:

Pumpkins

Pumpkins are one of the most enjoyable crops to grow. We had a blast with them last year. It was delightful seeing the bright orange fruit jump out from the dark green backdrop. But equally enjoyable was the success we had. We harvested multiple midsize pumpkins last year that we used to bake pies for Thanksgiving. This year, we’re growing one variety that we grew last year as well as a new one. We also have some seeds from last year that we may try to replant. Our focus on picking pumpkin seeds is flavor over everything else. It’d be great to grow the biggest pumpkin possible, but if it isn’t flavorful and can’t be used for cooking and baking, we aren’t that interested.

New England Sugar Pie

We grew this variety last year and loved it. The plants grew beautiful green vines with massive leaves and put on multiple volleyball-sized pumpkins. The pumpkins stored well, and we processed them into puree for our pies at Thanksgiving. It produced the best-tasting pumpkin pie any of us have ever had. We can’t recommend this pumpkin variety enough. Like last year, our seeds come from Baker Creek.

Winter Luxury

This heirloom variety dates back to 1893 and was improved in 1917. Grows medium-sized pumpkins that have the traditional orange skin. It’s described as being a great pumpkin for pies. This is our first year growing this variety, and we bought our seeds from Southern Exposure.

Squash

We love squash, both winter and summer. Last year, we grew zucchini and White Scallop for summer squash but didn’t do a deep dive into winter squash. We eventually started buying butternut squash (a winter variety) from the grocery store and fell in love with the flavor, so we’re growing it this year. We picked multiple zucchini, yellow squash, and winter squash varieties.

Black Beauty

One of the standard zucchini varieties, I think we grew Black Beauty last year. If so, it was extremely productive and flavorful. We got a late start planting the seeds, but in around two months, we were harvesting zucchini. I love that the plant stays contained yet open, which makes it easy to harvest. These seeds come from Territorial.

Burgress Buttercup

An heirloom that dates back to 1925, after the Quality and Essex Hybrid varieties were crossed, Burgress Buttercup first appeared in a seed catalog in 1931. The Buttercup is a winter squash with sweet orange flesh. It can be used in savory and sweet recipes. However, it does not store as long as other winter squash. Our seeds came from Fedco.

Burpee’s Butterbush

The Burpee’s Butterbush is a butternut squash similar to the popular Waltham variety but produces smaller 2-to-3-pound fruit. The flesh is sweet and moist but not watery. It matures in only 87 days, which is early for a winter squash. Although a determinate variety, its vines can still reach 10 feet long. It stores very well. We started eating butternut squash last year and fell in love with the flavor. We’re really excited to grow these seeds this year. Our seeds come from Fedco.

Costata Romanesca

An Italian heirloom zucchini, the Costata Romanesca is renowned for its flavor. Its plants are more vigorous than other zucchinis, and the fruit are best when picked at 12 inches, larger than most zucchini varieties. Still, the fruits remain tender even at 18 inches. We’re very excited to learn how the flavor differs from the typical zucchini we eat in the U.S. Our seeds come from Southern Exposure.

Crookneck Early Golden

This heirloom yellow squash variety is one of the standards for summer squash. It has been grown in North America since before Columbus arrived and has been one of the most popular varieties ever since. Matures early at 50 to 60 days and stays contained in a bush-growing habit. We’ve never grown yellow squash, but we love eating it and are excited to have a large supply of it this summer. Our seeds come from Baker Creek.

Lebanese White Bush

We stumbled upon this summer squash variety late in our seed searching process and are intrigued by it. It’s an heirloom that is similar to a zucchini, but the skin is light green and the flesh is white. The fruit appears to be pretty small, perhaps the size of a hand. It has a bush-growing habit and is supposed to be prolific. This is a new variety for us, and we’re excited to grow it. Our seeds came from Pinetree Gardens.

Ronde De Nice

This is another variety that we haven’t grown before and found it in the catalogs. It’s a French heirloom that dates back to the 1800s. It’s a summer squash, but it has the shape of an acorn squash, which is a winter variety. The plants are compact, vigorous, and produce lots of small, 4-inch fruit. These seeds come from Pinetree Gardens.

Turk’s Turban

The Turk’s Turban winter squash first caught my attention in our 2025 seed catalogs, but I didn’t highlight it and wasn’t confident enough to grow it. This year, it caught my attention again, and we’re giving it a go. It’s bright orange with green and white stripes on the top and sides. It is shaped like a butternut squash and categorized as an Aladdin-style squash or even a gourd, but I would describe its shape as being similar to a mushroom. It is stunning and can be used for decorations but is also edible and delicious. Our seeds came from Pinetree Gardens.

White Scallop

We grew this variety last year after never eating a patty pan squash before. It immediately became our favorite type of summer squash. The White Scallop is an old heirloom that was grown by Native Americans as far back as the 16th century. The plant produces many 5-to-6-inch round, flat fruits in compact bushes. They’re also delicious. We love slicing them and roasting them in the oven with a bit of oil, Season All, and pepper. My mouth is watering just thinking about them. The seeds come from Baker Creek again.

Yellow Crookneck

Similar to the crookneck variety described above, this variety has warts on its skin that come to mind when you think of crookneck squash. It’s an heirloom that was grown by Native Americans in the Northeast/New England region before Americans started growing it in the 19th century. We’ve never grown this type before. These seeds come from Fedco.

What are your favorite types of squash to grow? Have you ever grown a patty pan squash? If not, I recommend giving it a try. It’s a game-changer.

March 12, 2026 6

Our 2026 Garden Seeds: Peppers & Potatoes

In a continuation of my series highlighting the garden seeds we ordered for our 2026 garden, I’m going to combine two vegetables into one post. This post will go over our pepper seeds and seed potatoes. Below, I am including links to the previous installments of the series. Plus, here’s a post that showcases all of the seeds we ordered.

Links to Other Seeds:

Peppers

Gochugaru

We love using Gochujang in our cooking, and this is the pepper it’s made from. Gochujang is a fermented red chili paste used in Korean cuisine, and while it’s spicy, it still has flavor. We’re really excited to grow these seeds. The peppers grow to four inches long and are narrow. Our seeds come from Sow True Seed.

Jaluv an Attitude

Each year, Fedco Seeds designates one seed as their Seed Without a Price variety. It’s usually a seed with a unique backstory, and any profit that they would normally earn for the seed goes into their Seed Farmers Resilience Fund. This money is used to help Fedco’s seed farmers who face crop and livelihood disruptions. This year’s Seed Without a Price is the Jaluv an Attitude pepper. It’s a hot pepper that was developed by a breeder named Relentless. It looks like a jalapeno with a thicker skin and the flavor of a jalapeno. Jalapenos can be hit or miss for me. I love jalapeno poppers, preserving them into cowboy candy, and throwing them into salsa. But it isn’t a pepper I reach for just to add spice to a dish. That being said, I’m still really excited to grow these.

Takii’s New Ace

For our sweet pepper for 2026, I wanted a red, orange, or yellow bell pepper that matures quickly and succeeds in cool weather. Neither of us is a big fan of green bell peppers since they are often bitter and can lead to stomach aches. We tend to have inconsistent spring and summer weather where we live, so it’s hard to trust that we’ll have a hot summer that peppers love. Takii’s New Ace seems like the perfect pepper. It sets fruit in cool weather and has high disease resistance. Our seeds come from Pinetree Gardens.

West Indies Red Habanero

I love Jamaican jerk chicken, which traditionally uses Scotch Bonnet peppers. Unfortunately, Scotch Bonnet peppers and their seeds are difficult to find. Last year, Baker Creek sold them, but this year, they weren’t on their website. The West Indies Red Habanero was the closest variety I could find and happened to also be offered by Baker Creek. I’m curious to know if we can successfully grow this variety since it requires hot weather and lots of sunshine, but I think it’s possible.

Potatoes

We had some difficulty sourcing seed potatoes this year. In 2022, we ordered from Fedco and had great success growing them in containers. Last year, we ordered from Fedco and High Mowing because Fedco had sold out of some of the varieties we wanted. We weren’t able to harvest any potatoes, and the ones we received from Fedco were moldy and rotten when they arrived.

So, this year, we weren’t sure if we wanted to give Fedco another try. There’s a chance we could receive rotten potatoes again, plus their shipping costs are very high. High Mowing didn’t have all the varieties we wanted, and their prices are high since they’re all organic. That led me to search the web for specific seed potato varieties and resulted in me finding Urban Farmer, a seed company located in Indiana. We bought all our seeds from them.

Adirondack Blue

This midseason potato has blue skin and blue flesh and retains its color through the cooking process. The Adirondack Blue potato has antioxidants that can lower the risk of heart and neurological diseases. This potato is a fresh-eating variety with a short storage life.

German Butterball

The German Butterball potato is a quintessential late-season potato. It has yellow skin and flesh and is great for roasting and frying. It also stores well.

Magic Molly

The Magic Molly potato is one of the most beautiful varieties you can grow and eat. It’s a late-season fingerling with purple skin and flesh. We recently bought a bag of these from the store, and they made wonderful smashed potatoes. We grew these in 2022 and were amazed at their flavor.

Red Norland

The Red Norland is a wonderful early-season red-skinned potato. They are delicious, uniform in size, and store fairly well. My preferred way to eat them is boiled with butter, sour cream, salt, and pepper.

What are your favorite potato varieties to grow, if you grow your own potatoes? Also, have you had success growing hot peppers? If so, please share any tips.

March 10, 2026 6

Our 2026 Gardening Seeds: Melons, Molokhia, and Peas

In a continuation of my series highlighting the garden seeds we ordered for our 2026 garden, I’m going to combine several vegetables into one post. This post will go over our melon, molokhia, and pea seeds. Below, I am including links to the previous installments of the series. Plus, here’s a post that showcases all of the seeds we ordered.

Links to Other Seeds:

Melons

Last year, I think we grew four types of melons: one watermelon, one cantaloupe, and two specialty melons. We had moderate success and were able to harvest one cantaloupe and multiple specialty melons. Given that we didn’t know what we were doing, I was pretty happy with the outcome. This year, we’re dialing it back by only growing three varieties of melons and no watermelons, which was the only type to not produce an edible fruit last year. The three varieties we bought were also bred to grow in northern climates, so we should be in a good position to succeed even if we have a cooler summer.

Cream of Saskatchewan

This white-fleshed watermelon has Saskatchewan in its name, but its origins are Russian. It grows very well in northern climates that have shorter growing seasons. Despite its white flesh, it is known for its sweetness and great flavor. It has a very thin rind and does not store well. This heirloom seed was bought from Seed Savers Exchange.

Montreal Market

This muskmelon has a fascinating story. The seed dates back to early French settlers of North America (to at least the 17th century), and Burpee commercialized it in 1881, but at one point it was thought to be extinct. Thankfully, a group of Montreal seed preservationists located a few seeds in 1996 and brought it back. A green-fleshed variety, Montreal Market has a sweet and spicy flavor that is unique. Grows very well in cool climates. Our seeds came from Fedco.

Pride of Wisconsin

Fedco, who we bought this seed from, describes the Pride of Wisconsin as the “best full-size open-pollinated muskmelon.” It was introduced by the St. Louis Seed Co. in 1923 and nearly went extinct during hybridization. The taste is supposed to be divine, and the flesh is edible down to the rind.

Palestinian Molokhia

I first learned about Molokhia in a podcast from True Love Seeds called Seeds and Their People. If you haven’t listened to that podcast yet, I recommend it. Magz came across molokhia when she was looking for flax seeds, buying both from True Love Seeds despite not knowing that I listened to their podcast. Molokhia is a green that is natively grown in the Middle East, North Africa, and East Africa that is rich in vitamins and minerals. It’s eaten like spinach and is also called Egyptian Spinach, while its fiber is used to make twine, rope, and rugs.

This variety comes from Palestinian refugees/immigrants living in the United States. Molokhia should be picked throughout the season for a perpetual harvest, and the leaves can be frozen or dried. Side note: I may not always love modern technology and the modern world, but the ability to learn about and purchase seeds that are vital to a culture halfway around the world is amazing. Buying and growing this seed is especially important, as the Palestinian culture, including its foodways, is being threatened. By learning about Palestinian culture and humanizing the Palestinian people, we are able to better understand them. The relationship between the Palestinian and Israeli people can be tough to understand, but one thing we should be able to agree on is that no one should have to worry about their culture being destroyed. As a Christian, I have no problem using the word “genocide” to describe what’s happening to the Palestinian people.

Peas

Peas get such a negative reputation, which is unfair. It’s probably because of people’s experience eating canned peas as children. While I also like those, fresh peas are amazing. Last year, we grew a couple of rows of snap peas and had some success, but we had issues with weeds and our corn shading the plants too much. This year, we’re growing all new varieties and picked one variety each of snap peas, snow peas, and shelling peas.

Green Arrow

Full transparency: This shelling pea variety’s name caught our attention and is the main reason we chose it. I’ve been watching the TV series Smallville over the past six months or so, and Oliver Queen (aka Green Arrow) is one of my favorite characters. As a seed, the Green Arrow pea is an heirloom that has been developed to have good disease resistance and high production. We got our seeds from Pinetree Gardens.

Oregon Sugar Pod II

The Oregon Sugar Pod II is a snow pea that has a contained growing habit with only 30-inch-tall vines that don’t climb. Like Green Arrow, this variety is highly disease resistant and very productive. Our seeds were bought from Territorial.

Sugar Ann

This variety is a snap pea that is known for its exceptional flavor and was named an All-American Winner in 1984. It grows in a bush habit with only 18-inch vines that don’t need to be trellised. Snap peas are my favorite, and I have a hard time not eating them fresh off the vine. Can be planted late in summer for fall harvesting. Our Sugar Ann seeds came from Southern Exposure.

Have you grown any of these varieties before, or have you grown molokhia in the past?

March 6, 2026 7

Our 2026 Gardening Seeds: Cucumbers, Flax, and Leeks

Cucumber Seeds, Garden Seeds, Leek Seeds, Flax Seeds

In a continuation of my series highlighting the garden seeds we ordered for our 2026 garden, I’m going to combine several vegetables into one post. This post will go over our cucumber, flax, and leek seeds. And if you missed the previous installments, you can read about our bean seeds and corn seeds. Plus, here’s a post that showcases all of the seeds we ordered.

Links to Other Seeds:

Cucumbers

I love cucumbers, so much so that I dug into the history of them in this post. They’re one of my favorite vegetables to eat during the summer heat, and I crave the coolness they provide. Last year, we planted a lot of cucumber plants, and the vines went everywhere. They intersected with each other and other plants and were difficult to navigate through. We also had more cucumbers than we knew what to do with and lost some ripe ones that were buried underneath leaves. Because of that, we’re scaling back our cucumbers in this year’s garden. We still want variety that can be eaten fresh and pickled. Plus, there’s still a specialty cucumber that I couldn’t resist.

Bushy

This short-season cucumber is one of the earliest varieties you can find, maturing in 45 to 50 days. This variety has a bush-growing habit, as is evident by its name, and can even be grown in containers, which we are considering. The cucumbers are excellent for fresh eating and pickling. The Bushy cucumber originated in Moscow, Russia, where plants that thrive in short summers are essential. We haven’t grown this variety in the past. The seeds come from Pinetree Gardens.

Mexican Sour Gherkin

This is a variety I’ve been interested in for a couple of years. Also called Cucamelon or Mouse Melon, the Mexican Sour Gherkin is native to Central America and has been eaten there since before the Europeans arrived. This variety grows on vines, so it needs a trellis or fence and grows many 1-inch fruits that resemble tiny watermelons. Our seeds come from Fedco.

Flax

Historically, Pennsylvania grew a lot of flax, which was milled, spun, and used to create linen for clothing, bedding, and more. Its oil is what we call linseed oil. Over time, the commonwealth stopped growing flax on a large scale, and we no longer have mills for processing. Last year, Magz learned about the PA Flax Seed Project, which has a goal of reestablishing flax as a commodity crop in Pennsylvania. As a result, we became interested in being part of the movement to see flax grown in PA once again.

Common Flax

We were originally going to participate in the Square Yard Project, which is part of the PA Flax Project, but their website for signing up was down when we were ordering seeds. So, Magz found seeds from True Love Seeds, which is based in Pennsylvania. According to their seed description, common flax is mostly grown in Europe and Central Asia. Linseed can be used medicinally for its anti-inflammatory properties. The oil and seeds can be consumed and are rich in omega-3s. Plus, the fiber can be used to create textiles. We bought a single pack of it with the goal of learning how to grow it. It’s supposed to be very easy to grow.

Leeks

We have never grown leeks and, to my knowledge, have only cooked them once or twice. But with a flavor that’s described as being similar to a green onion but sweeter, we’re confident that we’ll like them. One of my gardening goals is to grow onions in the future, but they can be finicky and can take a lot of preparation, so leeks seemed like the next best thing.

King Richard

I knew that I wanted a leek variety with the shortest time to maturity that I could find in case we have another late spring or an early frost in the fall. The King Richard Leek fits that mold, only needing 75 days to mature. Our seeds come from Fedco.

Do you have a favorite cucumber variety to grow? If so, I’d love to hear about it and possibly grow it in the future. Also, have you ever grown flax or leeks? I look forward to hearing from you.

March 3, 2026 7

Our 2026 Gardening Seeds: Corn

Earlier this week, I wrote about the bean seeds we ordered for our 2026 garden. Before that, I shared images of all the seed packets. In this post, I am going to go over the corn seeds we purchased.

Links to Other Seeds:

We loved growing corn last year. We grew three varieties – Hopi Blue, Butter & Sugar, and Black Iroquois, Sweet Mexican – and had success with all of them. There were definitely some lessons we learned along the way, including not planting right before a heavy period of rain, not planting too close to the fence, and keeping more space between the seeds, but it was a positive experience overall.

Because of that, we’re growing more varieties, including a popcorn variety and multiple flint corns that can be turned into cornmeal or flour. If there’s one common thread among the seeds, it’s that we want to grow heirloom varieties as much as possible. Modern sweet corn is great, but some hybrids were bred to prioritize sugar content over flavor, which we don’t like. Heirlooms help find the sweet spot of sweetness and traditional corn flavor. We’re really excited about the varieties we chose for this year’s garden.

Bear Paw

This is a variety we found late in the seed-picking process. It’s a popcorn variety, and according to the seed description, the “ears are often flattened and split at the silk end, giving them the appearance of a bear’s paw.” The Bear Paw was developed by Vermont’s Glenn Thompson, who released it in the 1930s. It was served at New England movie theaters and even featured at a World’s Fair. It matures in only 70-80 days and grows to about 4 to 5 feet tall. This is a new variety for us. It comes from Seed Savers Exchange.

Black Iroquois, Sweet Mexican

This is one of three corn varieties that we grew last year. We had success growing this variety and found it a joy to watch the kernels transition from white to nearly all bluish-black. The flavor was also amazing, and it wasn’t too sweet. It’s an heirloom variety that dates back to 1864 and likely originated in upstate New York. These seeds come from Southern Exposure.

Country Gentleman

Country Gentleman is an heirloom sweet corn variety that dates back to the 1890s. Its ears grow kernels in random patterns (called shoepeg) rather than neat rows and on stalks that can be taller than nine feet. While sweet, it’s less sweet than modern varieties. This will be the first year we grow this variety. Our seeds came from Sow True.

Hjerleid Blue

Even though the kernels of this variety turn blue when they mature, Hjerleid Blue is a sweet corn. The kernels start out white but transition into a dark blue, almost violet color. It is an heirloom that dates back to the 1940s when Ludwig Hjerleid developed it in Wisconsin. The plants will reach 4 to 6 feet tall and produce short, 4- to 6-inch ears. This is our first year growing this variety, and the seeds come from Seed Savers Exchange.

Hopi Blue

We grew this corn last year with great success until the point where the ears needed to dry out. As a flint/flour corn, Hopi Blue is meant to stay on the stalk until it’s dried out, much like dry beans should stay on their plants. Unfortunately, deer got to our ears before they dried out. Apart from that, the corn was great. The stalks reached more than 7 feet in height, and it was beautiful to see how different this variety looked compared to the sweet corn varieties we grew. This variety dates back more than 800 years, when the Hopi Tribe grew it in Northern Arizona. In fact, it’s still grown by them in the same region. Last year, we got the seeds from Fedco, but this year, they’re coming from Pinetree Gardens.

Luther Hill

Luther Hill is an heirloom sweet corn named for the horticulturalist who developed it in New Jersey in 1902. It’s popular in the Mid-Atlantic region for its ability to navigate a wide range of temperatures. Short, 5 1/2-foot stalks produce 2 ears per plant with shorter, white-kernel ears. It’s supposed to have a great flavor. This will be our first year growing this variety. The seeds come from Southern Exposure.

Northern Lights

Northern Lights is a gorgeous flint corn that produces ears with multicolor kernels in blue, red, yellow, and purple. It’s used as a grinding corn for flour. It’s our first year growing this variety, and the seeds come from Baker Creek.

Painted Mountain

Like Northern Lights, Painted Mountain is a flint corn developed for grinding into flour. This variety produces kernels of gold, orange, red, and purple and was developed to grow in some of the harshest conditions. This is a new variety for us, and the seeds come from Fedco.

Stowells Evergreen

Stowells Evergreen is an heirloom sweet corn that dates back to 1838 and is named after Nathaniel Stowell, who developed it. The stalks grow to 7 1/2 feet tall and produce 7- to 8-inch ears. We haven’t grown this in the past. Our seeds come from Pinetree Gardens.

February 26, 2026 7

Our 2026 Gardening Seeds: Beans

It may still be winter with snow on the ground here in Pennsylvania, but the garden is just around the corner. What has been a harsh and frigid winter, with the temperature not getting above freezing for nearly two consecutive months and two feet of snow on the ground, is starting to break. When I started this blog post, it was bright and sunny outside, and the daily high has remained above freezing for nearly two weeks. For us, that means garden preparations, which have snuck up on me. One day, we were beginning to receive our catalogs in late November, and what felt like the next, we realized we needed to place our orders before things sold out.

Links to Other Seeds:

In early February, we placed our orders, and the seeds have all arrived. So, now is as good of a time as ever to go over everything we ordered and what starts we’re going to purchase from our local greenhouse.

Starts We’re Buying From the Greenhouse

Before diving into the seeds we purchased, I want to go over the vegetables we’re going to buy starts for instead of seeds. There are a couple of reasons for this. One is that we’ve never grown the vegetable before and want to begin with an established start that only needs to be transplanted rather than attempting to start our own seeds. My preference is to start my own seeds, but beginning with a start that only needs to be transplanted increases the chance of success. A couple of vegetables that fall into this category are broccoli and cauliflower. Technically, we tried growing broccoli last year, but they barely reached the transplanting stage and quickly failed. We’ve never tried growing cauliflower.

Check Out Our Other Seed Posts:

The second reason is that we like the options our greenhouse offers for a specific vegetable. Ground cherries and eggplant fall into this category. We bought starts for these last year and had success and will buy the same ones this year. Eventually, we’d like to buy additional eggplant varieties to grow, but we’re content with the Asian-style eggplant we got from the greenhouse last year. Finally, there are some vegetables that we will likely buy extra plants for. These will mostly be tomatoes and peppers. We bought seeds for both, but we would like to have an abundance of fruit from both, so adding extra plants is never a bad thing.

Seed Picks

Now, we move to the seeds we ordered.

Beans

Our bean seed choices are reflective of our larger approach to seed selection for this year’s garden. We wanted a variety of styles (wax, green, dry, and French), growing habits (bush and pole), and colors (green, yellow, red, black, and brown). You’ll soon see just how much we love beans.

Beurre de Rocquen

A wax-style bean from France that descended from the first wax beans to be introduced to the country from Algeria in the mid-19th century. A bush-growing habit that should flower and produce early in the season. Supposed to be a delicious bean. It’s our first time growing it. Purchased from Baker Creek.

Black Turtle

We grew these beans last year and had moderate success. The plants generally grew well and produced pods. We were able to harvest a 1/4 cup of beans that dried on the plant. I greatly underestimated how many plants you need to have an abundant harvest. We’re growing more this year. These are the traditional black beans that are popular in Latin American cuisine. They’re intended to dry on the plant and in the pod, and the plants will stay relatively compact in a bush habit. Last year, we bought the variety from Baker Creek. This year, they came from Sow True Seeds, and the seed packet is gorgeous.

Blue Lake 274

One of the most popular bush beans grown in the United States, Blue Lake 274 has been grown since the 1940s. It’s a versatile and productive bean that is great for fresh eating, freezing, and canning. We’ve never grown this variety. Our seeds came from Southern Exposure Seed Exchange.

Cherokee Trail of Tears

I’ve been curious about this variety since we started gardening and finally bought them for 2026. It’s an heirloom variety that dates back to at least the 1830s when members of the Cherokee Nation were forcefully relocated from the Smoky Mountains to Oklahoma by the U.S. government. That became known as the Trail of Tears, which is where the bean gets its name from. As for the bean, it grows on a pole habit with beautiful pinkish-purple flowers and develops green pods, but the bean is black. It can be eaten fresh or dried. We bought our seeds from Seed Savers Exchange.

Cherokee Wax

Not quite an heirloom, the Cherokee Wax bean was introduced by Clemson University in the 1940s and has been a favorite for gardeners ever since. Has a bush-growing habit and produces lots of yellow bean pods that are great for fresh eating and preserving. I love pickling wax beans into dilly beans. This is our first time growing this variety. Our seeds came from Pinetree Gardens.

Cranberry

An heirloom bean that can be tracked back to 1825 from England, the Cranberry bean is a horticultural style. I’ve since learned that horticultural beans have flatter pods than snap beans. The Cranberry bean produces beautiful scarlet-colored beans with lighter swirls. I’m a little unclear on what color the pods are, but some descriptions list them as green, while others list them as having pink highlights, so we’ll see. It’s very exciting. These have a bush habit. As you can probably tell, it’s our first year growing these. The seeds come from Territorial.

Grandma Nellie’s Yellow Mushroom

This is a unique heirloom variety that we’re really excited about. It’s a pole bean that requires trellising and produces yellow pods with beans that have an umami element similar to mushrooms. This variety originated in Russia and arrived in the United States via Saskatchewan. This is our first year growing these. The seeds come from Southern Exposure.

Iroquois Skunk Pole

Magz got me these as a Valentine’s Day gift this year, and they’re a fascinating bean variety. They’re an heirloom variety that has been grown by members of the Iroquois nation in the Great Lakes region for centuries. These grow on 6-foot vines with green pods. The beans can be eaten fresh as a snap bean or left to dry when the beans become beautifully speckled in black and white. These seeds come from Baker Creek.

Maxibel Haricot Vert

This is the classic French filet green bean. The pod may be green, but the bean is a speckled brown. Grows in a bush habit and is supposed to be delicious. This is our first time growing these, and we bought them from Fedco.

Missouri Bill

Missouri Bill is a shelling bean that is supposed to be great in stews or when baked. These have a compact, bush habit that develops rosy white flowers. The beans are buff-colored with scarlet-brown streaks on them and are stunning. Why they’re called Missouri Bill is a bit confusing, with one source I found claiming that the seeds were saved by a guy from Missouri named Bill. We bought ours from Territorial, and they state that their seeds originally came from the San Juan Islands off the coast of Washington. It’s our first year growing them.

Have you grown any of these varieties before? Let me know in the comments. In the next post, I’ll look at the corn seeds we picked.

February 23, 2026 7

2026 Garden Seeds Collection

All of our garden seeds for 2026 have been ordered and delivered, so I thought I’d share pictures of everything. This is just a short post, but I’m in the process of writing a longer post (or perhaps a series of posts) explaining all the seeds we bought.

Links to Seeds Posts:

Our Seed Savers Exchange Seeds bundle for 2026.

True Love Seeds — Our Seed Savers Exchange Seeds bundle for 2026.

Our Pinetree Gardens Seeds bundle for 2026.

Fedco Seeds — Our Pinetree Gardens Seeds bundle for 2026.

Territorial Seeds — Our Sow True Seeds bundle for 2026.

February 19, 2026 8

Blooming Where You’re Planted

Let me start by saying that this is not a garden-related post. This is a topic that came to mind last week, and even though the phrase “Bloom where you’re planted,” is a bit cliche and overused, it is an important mindset to have. Unfortunately, I haven’t had this mindset too often in my life, but thankfully, some things finally began to change to help me appreciate what is around me. This is a brief post about learning to accept my current circumstances and embracing those who love me.

Misery & Realizing I Needed Help

I believe I’ve referenced it elsewhere on the blog, but 2025 was a really rough year for me. It was a year that I expected to be great: It was our first full one in a house we bought, we had adopted a pet together for the first time, I was finally able to plant a big garden, and I had a woodshop. By all measures, I should have been happy. Yet, I was miserable. I have always struggled with moodiness, but this was something deeper. I was pushing myself too hard, not taking time to relax, and making decisions that were never going to make me happy. I was unhappy with my work/life balance even though nothing had changed, and all I could focus on was the negative. My mind was telling me everything was going wrong. That I was going to lose my job and that no matter how much I did, the fake to-do list in my head was never going to be cleared.

2025 was also the year when I wanted to get my relationship with my mom back to a healthy place, and during the five months or so, that looked to be possible. We haven’t had a healthy relationship for over 10 years now for a number of reasons, and without going into too much detail, unhealthy communication and a lack of forgiveness are the main issues. Since 2015, I have tried several times to improve and fix our relationship, but I was unsuccessful each time. But things finally appeared to be trending in a positive direction. In 2024, we met her and my stepdad at an event held at a church park, and it went okay. It was the first time I saw her in person in at least seven years.

2025 rolled around, and we invited them to see our house in March when they were passing through the area. Again, that went okay, and we saw them again for a Saturday lunch. We further made plans to meet up with them at the same church event last summer, but on the day we were supposed to meet them, I froze. I was simply unable to take the necessary steps to leave our house and see them again. I likely had some sort of a panic attack, and my mental health was on the fritz. That day was both the darkest of my life and the one when I decided to seek help and found a therapist. Before that day, I felt off and not like myself, but I couldn’t pinpoint it. I was encouraged by being able to see my mom more often than I had in nearly a decade, but it still wasn’t fixing the relationship because forgiveness wasn’t happening and we weren’t talking about the root issues.

Learning From Therapy

One of the most important things I have learned from therapy is that I’ve been chasing after my mom my entire life. She and my dad divorced when I was 3, and from then until high school, I was constantly chasing her. I wanted more time with her, more experiences with her, and more of her attention. I wanted to buy her the best Christmas gifts and do everything I could to receive her love. I moved with her in high school and left an entire life behind to get to know her more. I would take her side over everyone else’s and put relationships on the back burner if it’s what I felt was needed. Unfortunately, that dedication wasn’t reciprocated. Sure, she and my stepdad would bestow gifts and give experiences that seemed great, but there was an absence of commitment on a day-to-day basis. Unconditional love and forgiveness were nowhere to be found.

2025 was a continuation of me chasing after her. Internally, I think I felt that if I opened up my home to her and made a serious effort to spend time with her, our relationship would be fixed. I wanted to believe that I would finally get from her what I had always wanted. Then, when nothing changed, something snapped in me, which is when I finally began to change my mindset and build myself back up.

There were two things that changed within me. One was accepting that my relationship with my mom wasn’t where I wanted it to be and likely never would be. This pattern has been going on for decades now, and there’s little reason to believe it is going to change. The second thing was to look around and see who has been a consistent presence in my life and always wants me in their life. Magz, dad, dad’s family, my in-laws, and friends immediately came to mind. Magz had always supported me in my relationship with my mom. My dad and I have had an up-and-down relationship at points, largely because I couldn’t stop bouncing between parents. He’s always given me the space to figure things out.

And my in-laws have played such a massive role in my life over the past 10 years, and I’ve begun to truly accept and appreciate that over the past year. They have welcomed me into their family and made me feel more comfortable than my own family does. They accept me and always choose Magz and me over other invitations for holidays and weekends. In the past, I was sad that I wasn’t seeing my family for Christmas, but now I look forward to our traditions with Magz’ parents. My mother-in-law and I planned Magz’ birthday party in January, and my father-in-law and I do regular dinner “dates” together to eat food that our wives aren’t as fond of. We see them several times a month, and I look forward to it almost every time. That hasn’t always been the case, but I’m so glad that my perspective changed.

It would have been really easy to sit and stew in the disappointment of my mom and her unwillingness to have a healthier relationship. Living in the past is so easy. Nostalgia is great because it can remind us of great things from the past, but it’s also dangerous. We can stay in that place and time and become disappointed in the present. By changing my mindset and focusing on the people who choose me, I’ve become so much happier and feel like myself again. I feel loved and capable of loving to my fullest again.

I’m unsure if anyone who will read this struggles with feelings of longing and wanting what we don’t have. I think it’s part of the struggle of humanity and goes back to the first sin. And if you struggle with it like I do, I encourage you to look around and see what’s around you. Find things around you that bring you joy and look to people who love you. Don’t settle for a discounted version of love or a cheapened relationship. Likewise, don’t chase someone who is likely to hurt you when you have people around you who generally care for you. And to bring it back to the cliche, “bloom where you’re planted.” I think a lot of us are in places where we can thrive if we slow down and look at all the positives of our current circumstances and environment. Thanks for reading.

February 10, 2026 0