"The fresh crunch of a salad I picked from the garden that same day makes my soul happy. A garden not only allows me to take some mindful moments to myself, it also helps me show my children what it means to be connected to this Earth and our food.”

I met a Green Goddess in real life and her name is Sara Zielinski, the owner and founder of Rooted Fork. Sara mixes up a good beet in the kitchen with a focus on kitchen garden plants. Sara says, “A kitchen garden is being able to walk into your backyard and harvest fresh produce at the peak of its nutrition and flavor. This includes herbs, salad greens, vegetables, and fruits. With kitchen gardens, it is best to plant what you enjoy eating and use often.”

This garden guru at Rooted Fork specializes in raised garden beds and can help in many ways, including garden design consultation, garden coaching, food preservation coaching, a variety of workshops and more. A design consultation includes coming to your property to evaluate your space for a new kitchen garden and then delivering a unique design personalized to your space. Garden and food preservation coaching is offered both virtually and in-person depending on your location. Workshops will be seasonally dependent and be offered throughout the year.

Remember your roots. “I grew connected to my food via foraging, fishing, and hunting. That connection over the years has expanded further into gardening. As a mother and a medical professional, I have become much more aware of what is (and is not) in and on the food we eat. I truly believe food can be medicine! Growing food right in my own backyard gives me access to organic produce at its peak flavor and nutritional value. When I started incorporating modern backyard gardening practices, I was shocked at how much I could harvest out of a small space and for way longer of a season than just the summer months. With this, I dove deep into a variety of growing methods and have learned a lot over the years. I want to help others bring their kitchen garden dreams into reality by eliminating  what can feel like the overwhelming learning curve that it can feel like in the beginning. When I started, it was frustrating at times. I remember wishing that I had someone I could ask what I needed for my unique space and not just vague, blanket advice. Vague advice just led me down online rabbit holes and hours of researching, trying to find what I specifically needed. With that, the idea of Rooted Fork came to fruition with a focus of serving Midland, MI and surrounding area.”

That spark never faded for Sara. Sara’s deep rooted in helping bring backyard kitchen garden dreams to life! “My vision is to help people having thriving kitchen gardens in their own backyard (big or small!). Small salad & herb garden? Just-in-time fresh dinner garden? Abundant canning garden? Cocktail garden? Whatever it is, I want to minimize the learning curve.”

Perspective from a mother... “I cannot put into words the joy it has brought me to watch my children interact in the garden. My daughter will regularly run out and stuff some basil leaves in her mouth or know where and how to cut some fresh chives for dinner. My kiddos love checking the cherry tomatoes on the daily to see which are at the prime for picking. The fresh crunch of a salad I picked from the garden that same day makes my soul happy. A garden not only allows me to take some mindful moments to myself, it also helps me show my children what it means to be connected to this Earth and our food. They get to see the magic that happens from a single seed to what they see on their plate. We get to talk about environmental impact on being closer to our food and minimizing food packaging that ends up in landfills. They learn lessons on patience. They taste the difference in produce picked at peak, prime season versus sub-par off season produce from the grocery season. Starting and involving my children in our kitchen garden has been so worth it.”

You can learn more and keep up to date with Rooted Fork at www.rootedforkgarden.com or email hello@rootedforkgarden.com Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok all coming soon!