ODE TO THE SOUTHERN GARDEN

In its summertime glory, a Southern garden is nothing short of an oasis. Between the towering tomato plants and the crookneck squash with vibrant yellow flowering buds, recipes are born and memories are made. Serving as the backbone of many of our favorite warm-weather dishes, gardens in the South aren’t just a hobby. Like cooking with your grandmother’s castiron skillet, gardening is a deeply rooted, generations-old tradition that connects us to days long gone by.

Home gardens were once essential for survival. Without the equivalent of our modern grocery stores, early American colonists relied on their humble gardens to fill their supper tables. Kitchen gardens, as they were called, were small, no-fuss enclosed plots near the home’s back door where nutritional staples like fruits, vegetables, and herbs took center stage. But