The Big Garden

10/09/2025

What Can You Do With Spaghetti Squash?
Here are a few popular ways to enjoy it:
1. Spaghetti Squash “Pasta”
Roast or microwave the squash, then scrape out the strands.
Top with your favorite pasta sauce—marinara, pesto, or Alfredo.
Add veggies or proteins like mushrooms, spinach, chicken, or shrimp.
2. Stuffed Spaghetti Squash
Roast the squash halves, then fill them with a savory mixture—think ground turkey, black beans, cheese, and spices.
Bake again until bubbly for a delicious, edible “bowl” meal.
3. Spaghetti Squash Casserole
Combine cooked strands with eggs, cheese, and veggies for a healthy baked dish.
Great for meal prep!
4. Spaghetti Squash Pad Thai
Use the squash as a noodle base for a lighter take on the classic Thai dish, complete with peanut sauce and fresh lime.

🔪 How to Prepare:
Cut in half lengthwise (be careful—it’s tough!).
Scoop out the seeds.
Bake face-down at 400°F (200°C) for ~40 minutes or microwave for ~10–12 minutes.
Let cool slightly, then use a fork to scrape out the strands.

Spaghetti squash is rich in fiber, and a great source of vitamins A and C.

10/08/2025

A little bit of everything today with some Thai basil (if only you could smell this photo!), eggplant, tomatoes, jalapeños, and okra. We love sharing the bounty with our friends at Intercultural Senior Center!

10/06/2025

As summer veggies transition into fall veggies, check out the colors our first harvest of a bunch of root vegetables!

10/03/2025

The blooms may be fading, but the magic is just beginning! Our dry flowers are putting on a show of golden browns, seed heads, and whispery textures — a sure sign it’s time to save seeds for next season.

👩‍🌾 Want to try seed saving? Here’s how:
Pick dry, mature seed heads – Look for flowers that have finished blooming and are starting to brown.

Cut and dry fully – Hang them upside down in a cool, dry place for a few days.
Collect seeds – Gently break open pods or shake seeds into a paper bag.
Label and store – Use envelopes or jars, and keep them cool and dry until spring.

🌱 Seed saving is a great way to keep your garden going, share with neighbors, and support pollinators with native plants year after year.

09/30/2025

The colors of our late summer harvest!

09/29/2025

Berry Good News from The Big Garden!🍓
Fall is here, and it’s the perfect time to show your berry bushes some love!

🌿 When to Prune Your Berries:
Late fall (after the first frost) or early spring is ideal for most berry bushes in Nebraska. Here’s a quick guide:
🔹 Raspberries:
Cut back the canes that fruited this year (they’ll look brown and woody).
Keep the healthy green canes — those will fruit next season!
🔹 Blackberries:
Prune spent canes all the way to the ground.
Thin the remaining canes to about 4-6 of the strongest stems per plant.
🔹 Blueberries:
Wait until late winter or early spring.
Remove dead or crossing branches to keep air flowing and the plant happy.
🫐Why prune? It helps your plants produce bigger, juicier berries next year and keeps them healthy and manageable!

🍽️ What Can You Make With Berries?
Whether you’re harvesting or dreaming of next season’s bounty, here are some delicious ideas:
🫐 Berry jam
🍓 Homemade fruit leather
🥧 Mixed berry pie
🍦 Berry compote for ice cream
🍹 Berry-infused water or lemonade
🥣 Overnight oats with fresh berries
🍞 Berry muffins or bread
What’s your favorite way to use fresh berries? Share your go-to recipes or tag us in your berry creations!

09/25/2025

🍂 Fall is Here – Time to Mulch Up!

As cooler weather rolls into Omaha, it’s the perfect time to prep your garden beds for winter — and mulch is your secret weapon!
Mulch helps:
✅ Insulate soil from temperature swings
✅ Retain moisture as fall winds pick up
✅ Suppress those stubborn late-season weeds
✅ Add organic matter as it breaks down over winter

Here at The Big Garden, we’re laying down thick mulch layers to protect our soil, nourish our plants, and keep our gardens thriving through the seasons.

🌟 Huge shoutout to our mulch MVP — MonkeyMan Tree Care!
We’re always grateful for the steady supply of top-notch mulch. You keep our gardens going strong!

09/24/2025

🚨 Hey neighbors! 🚨

We’ve got a bit of a situation at The Big Garden— two large tree limbs have recently fallen, and we don’t currently have the proper tools to safely remove or cut them down to size.

This space brings so much life and beauty to our community, and we want to keep it safe and growing strong 💚

If you can help — or know someone who can — please comment below or send a message. Every little bit helps!

09/24/2025

🐝 Why Pollinators Matter in Omaha! 🐝

From your backyard garden to local farms and parks, pollinators like bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds are crucial to Omaha’s ecosystem!
They help grow the food we eat and keep native plants thriving.

09/23/2025

09/22/2025

It’s always a joy to work with our Nurture Omaha Farm Stand partners! Just look at the size of these beets grown by Lu’s Flowers and Vegetables!

09/19/2025

Our next food distribution is coming up on September 20, and we need your help stocking up on some of our most popular items:

✅All-Purpose Flour
✅Cooking Oil
✅Black & Red Pepper
✅Salt

You can drop these off at any of the following Omaha locations:

📍Hanscom Park United Methodist Church (4444 Frances St)
📍St. Andrew's United Methodist Church, Omaha, NE (15050 W Maple Rd)
📍Urban Abbey (1026 Jackson St)
📍African Farms (2339 N 90th St)

We recommend that you confirm the operating hours of your preferred location before stopping by to drop off your items.

💲No time to shop? A $12 donation covers the cost of us providing each of these foods for one household. Donate here: https://givebutter.com/allpeoplespantry