That Was Delicious Brooke Eliason

Carmen is a passionate and talented garden and food enthusiast who has been sharing her love for homegrown cuisine with the world for almost a decade. She’s built an incredible following on TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube by sharing impressive dishes, cooking tips, and gardening advice. She is trusted for her practical tips and recommendations, and her readers are inspired by her innovative use of homegrown ingredients.


In this episode, Brooke interviews Carmen, discussing her journey from how she pivoted from a prospective law school student to a gardening sensation. Carmen shares her experiences, challenges, and tips for both new and experienced gardeners that make gardening approachable and fun. 


 
Key Takeaways:
 
·    Starting Small: Begin with manageable projects like potted herbs or a small raised bed. (07:33)
·    Soil Health: Focus on composting to improve soil health for better plant growth. (16:16)
·    Patience and Consistency: Gardening requires regular attention and patience. (32:12)
·    Common Mistakes: Avoid overplanting, ensure consistent care, and manage watering appropriately. (32:54)
·    Gardening Hacks: Use felt grow bags for potatoes and understand your USDA growing zone for better plant selection. (23:00, 37:01)
·    Importance of Zone Knowledge: Understanding your USDA zone helps in selecting the right plants for your area. (37:01)
·    Herbs and Leafy Greens: Herbs like oregano, thyme, and basil, as well as leafy greens like kale, are great for beginners and versatile in the kitchen. (38:54)
·    Tomato Tips: Stake your tomatoes early, prune regularly, and harvest when they start to blush. (41:14)
·    Enjoy the Process: Embrace the journey of gardening with its ups and downs; it's a hands-on learning experience. (44:12)
·    Homegrown Satisfaction: Growing your own food provides a unique satisfaction and better taste. (11:01)


Notable Quotes:

·    "Gardening is really not as hard as people think it is. It's super fun, and you just have to start." - Carmen (44:22)
·    "There's something truly satisfying about growing your own food and knowing where it comes from." - Brooke (10:19)
·    "The first meal that I fully sourced from my own garden was the best feeling ever." - Carmen (45:49)
·    "Embrace the journey— there's going to be ups and downs. There's going to be a lot of successes and some failures as well." - Carmen(44:22)
·    "You just have to start. I think a lot of people trip themselves up being like picking the perfect thing or the perfect time or anything like that." - Carmen (44:22)
 

Resources:
 
Sunset Western Garden Book

Follow Carmen in the Garden on TikTok

Follow Carmen in the Garden on Instagram

Subscribe to Carmen in the Garden’s Substack Newsletter

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Timestamped Highlights:
 
·    00:31 - Introduction to Carmen in the Garden
·    02:27 - Carmen's childhood and early influences
·    04:44 - Transition from political science to gardening
·    07:33 - Tips for beginning gardeners
·    10:19 - The rise of homesteading and gardening trends
·    14:25 - Evolution of Carmen's garden
·    19:02 - Composting basics
·    21:18 - Raised bed gardening pros and cons
·    27:03 - Overview of Carmen's current garden setup
·    32:12 - Common gardening mistakes and how to avoid them
·    37:01 - Importance of understanding gardening zones
·    38:38 - Easy-to-grow plants for beginners
·    41:09 - Tips for growing tomatoes
·    44:12 - Final thoughts on gardening
·    45:49 - Carmen's favorite homegrown meal

Mckay is a mother, wife, and SLC native and has been an insect and bee enthusiast for over 16 years. She specializes in natural beekeeping and honey tastings and shares informative and captivating content with her rapidly growing audience of over 150,000 followers. 
 
Today on this episode of That Was Delicious, McKay and Brooke discuss beekeeping and honey in-depth, including everything you should know about how honey is made, shortcuts big businesses make when it comes to the production of honey, what to look for when purchasing honey, and so much more. 
 
Resources:

Get a honey tasting box for two
Follow McKay on Instagram

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Levi DeGarmo is a Salt Lake City native and has been in the food and beverage industry for over 20 years. Today on the show we discuss the dramatic changes concerning tipping over the past few years (AKA tipping fatigue), including how to tip, when to tip, and more insightful conversation between two former co-workers.

Resources:
Follow Female Foodie on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/femalefoodie/)

Kacie Rose had always dreamed of coming to Italy, but when she finally took the plunge and visited for the first time on a solo trip in 2018, she had no idea that as she says, in true Lizzie McGuire fashion, she would meet the love of her life. Fast forward to 2024 and Kacie is now a full-blown content creator and Italy expert, sharing her wisdom and day-to-day life with over a million of her adoring fans online. 
 
Today in this episode of That Was Delicious, we discuss Kacie’s story of how she ended up living full-time in Italy, some of the culture shocks she had (and still has) living in Italy, tips for travelers coming to Tuscany, and her brand new book: You Deserve Good Gelato. 
 
Resources:
 
Cascine Market (Tuesdays)
 
Mercato di Sant’Ambrogio
 
Vivoli
 
La Sorbettiera
 
Pino’s Sandwiches
 
Trattoria Marione
 
Osteria Cinghiale Bianco
 
Osteria e Vinaino Cicalone
 
Check out Kacie’s website, Kacie Rose Travel
 
Get Kacie’s new book, You Deserve Good Gelato
 
Follow Kacie on Instagram

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Julia Scarpaleggia is a Tuscan-born and bred food writer, cookbook author, podcaster, and cooking class instructor. She learned to cook from her grandmother and mother and lives in the countryside in her family house with her husband Tommaso, their beautiful daughter Livia, and two rescue dogs, Noa and Teo.
 
Today on That Was Delicious, we discuss how JulsKitchen.com came to be, what it’s like being a food blogger in Italy, how she started cooking classes, Italian food culture, and so much more.
 
Resources:
 
Check out Giulia’s website, Juls’ Kitchen 
 
Get Giulia’s latest cookbook, Cucina Povera
 
Follow Giulia on Instagram

Follow female foodie on Instagram

Natalie Kennedy is a Californian who has been living in Rome since 2010. Although she initially came to the Eternal City for graduate school to study Economics, she shortly after met her now Irish husband, and the rest is history. She regularly contributes to guidebooks, magazines, and her own social media and website, An American in Rome, sharing her love of la dolce vita between pizza slices and gelato breaks.


Today, on the show, we discussed why she decided to live in Rome, her favorite parts of being in the Eternal City, what it’s like to live in Rome with children, and things she wishes she could tell every tourist that decides to visit Italy.


Resources

Forno campo de fiori (http://www.fornocampodefiori.com/)

Antico forno Roscioli (https://www.anticofornoroscioli.it/)

Piatto Romano (https://piattoromano.superbexperience.com/)

Otaleg (https://www.otaleg.com/)

Gunther gelato (https://www.gunthergelatoitaliano.com/punti-vendita/gunther-gelato-italiano-via-dei-pettinari/)

Check out Natalie’s website, An American in Rome (https://anamericaninrome.com/)

Follow Natalie on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/anamericaninrome/)

Follow female foodie on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/femalefoodie/)