Italian Inspiration
I spend about a month in Italy every year. Italy is like no where else in the world. The food is fresh, the people are kind and happy. Life is lively and exciting and the days last forever. How can I eat pizza, pasta and ice cream daily and still feel good?
Last year, I went to Italy with my daughter who was a little over 6 months old at the time which means we were starting solid baby food, and also nursing (also side note, 6 month olds in Italy are introduced to solids early… by 6 months, they’re eating pasta and all of the food like they’ve been here forever lol).
We went in June and it was HOT - everyday was scorching but oh so wonderful. We would wake up in the morning, go for a long walk on the boulevard, I would grab a coffee and my daughter would be in her stroller relaxing with shade and a fan. The shops and the ocean on one side, mountains on the other. We would pass a small yard that had so many fruits and vegetables on a very small plot of land… when I say small I mean about the size of a car (that’s how much space this yard had), plus a driveway with a parked car. The yard was all flat, and had 4 rows of tomatoes held up by bamboo that was propped up on itself, forming a triangle. It was brilliant and seemed so simple (which it was not).
6 months postpartum and my body was feeling better than it had in a very long time. Was it the Italian food? The weather? The Italian air? I didn’t feel groggy like I normally do in America. Was it walking for miles and miles everyday or the latter? I decided that I wanted to be better when I returned home. I wanted to feel better, look better (mom bod) and overall, take better care of my body by putting fresh food in it, and even try to grow my own food. So when I got back to America, the first thing I did was purchase a tower garden. I was inspired.
For those who don’t know me, I try really hard to be a good plant mom. However, I tend to unintentionally kill plants. I had a great garden going in our yard, but after about two months, everything started dying and I kind of just gave up. Enter the TOWER garden. The best invention for those who want to grow their own food, but don’t know how to get started OR like me, can’t keep a real garden together or alive. This is also beneficial for folks who are just busy or travel often and don’t have the time to maintain a garden. This is a set it and forget it type of deal and it’s incredible.
Setting up the tower was super easy. It comes in one big box and gives you all of the instructions to get your garden going. It also comes with some starter seeds (which grow 3x as fast)! My tower quickly started growing basil, tomatoes (which I later killed trying to transplant them into my actual garden), lettuce, and other herbs. The tower was thriving and I couldn’t believe that I, Aisha was able to grow veggies like I was growing them. I was also making daily meals from scratch (who did I think I was making homemade focaccia and dough, adding herbs from my tower) and attempting to maintain that while working a 9-5, going to CrossFit and being a mom… needless to say, the homemade meals slowed down, but my tower continued to thrive! I was doing NOTHING with the tower. Nada. All of the things in the garden (in the ground) died, and I even forgot to add water to the tower, but the lettuce that was in the tower still lived through my neglect.
I was absolutely loving that I didn’t have to do much. I also told myself that one day, eventually, when the weather was a little warmer, I would grow more fruits and veggies. Start from scratch, and share this journey with other busy parents who want to grow their own food, but don’t know where to start! Here’s the way to do it! It is now a part of my business that I am excited to share with others!
Another beautiful thing about having this tower, is that my (now) toddler LOVES hanging outside with me and playing with water while I harvest whatever is growing out of there. Pro tip - is your toddler learning and developing their fine motor skills? Give them a vine with some edible leaves and let them explore a new world, a new texture, and new flavors - Pri sat at our dining room table with some mint, and picked off every little leaf of the stem and put it in a bowl. She was entertained for at least an hour, while I cooked. She did also taste some - I think she liked it.
Interested in a tower of your own? Learn how to Grow Your Own Food!