Julia Cedenblad Of Lifesum: 5 Things You Need To Know To Create A Successful Vegetable Garden To Grow Your Own Food
An Interview With Martita Mestey
Don’t forget about the bees. Most vegetables need pollination, which is where bees are vital. Plant flowers along with your vegetables so they can help pollinate. This is a mistake I made two years ago. I didn’t plant any flowers near my zucchini plants. The zucchinis began to grow well but did not produce and then turned rotten due to lack of pollination.
As we all know, inflation has really increased the price of food. Many people have turned to home gardening to grow their own food. Many have tried this and have been really successful. But others struggle to produce food in their own garden. What do you need to know to create a successful vegetable garden to grow your own food? In this interview series, called “5 Things You Need To Know To Create A Successful Vegetable Garden To Grow Your Own Food” we are talking to experts in vegetable gardening who can share stories and insights from their experiences.
As a part of this series, we had the pleasure of interviewing Julia Cedenblad, Head Chef at Lifesum.
As Head Chef, Julia oversees all aspects of recipe creation and cooking-related content.
Before joining the Lifesum team, Julia worked in kitchens across Sweden, Italy and the US, including Aquavit in New York and Playhouse Teaterbistro in Stockholm. But it was her husband, an MMA fighter, who inspired Julia to pursue the power of cooking for health. She would often cook for him, creating meals to help him build muscle or cut weight when needed. This led her to the hit television show, The Biggest Loser, where she was a food consultant, and then shortly after, to Lifesum.
Julia received her degree in Culinary Arts and Meal Science from Örebro University.
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Before we dig in, our readers would like to get to know you a bit more. Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?
The turning point for me was when I was 13 years old. I started working in a bakery in my hometown in northern Sweden. That’s when I fell in love with cooking and decided I would work with food when I grew up. It was my calling.
I loved walking into the bakery every morning, feeling the warmth from the ovens and the smell of the dough baking and sugar caramelizing. Oddly enough, I also enjoyed the structure of the work, and of course, being rewarded by making customers happy.
Since then, food has taken me all over the world, from Italy to New York until finally back to Sweden. That’s the great thing about food, it’s universal yet can define us. Food is something we all share and have in common, but specific dishes or cooking methods are also a part of our culture and individual identity. That means I’m always learning and also being inspired.
You are a successful leader. Which three character traits do you think were most instrumental to your success? Can you please share a story or example for each?
The first is to work hard, but smart. This is true for any field or practice. It’s important to give it your best and to work hard, but to also be smart when it comes to preparation and time management.
The second and third are closely related: be respectful to everyone — I mean everyone — and have a positive attitude. There’s this assumption that chefs are rude and working in a kitchen means getting yelled at and things thrown at you. That’s the exception, not the rule. Your line cook today could be your boss tomorrow. And one bad review or day in the kitchen doesn’t have to set the tone for the days to come. Being kind, positive and solution-oriented in any workplace creates a better environment for people to come and do their best work.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
Early in my career I had a boss once tell me, “If you can’t talk and work at the same time, be quiet.”
At the time I remember being extremely insulted. But then I realized every time I started talking, I stopped slicing. Some people can do both and today I can almost always do both. But it was a lesson on focusing, using your time wisely– or working smart– and knowing when to get stuff done.
Are you working on any interesting or exciting new projects now? How do you think that will help people?
I’m now the Head Chef at the nutrition app, Lifesum, where I create recipes and inspire people to cook at home, use more whole foods and prevent food waste. After traveling and working in different parts of the world, I quickly realized the importance of a balanced diet when it comes to quality of life. I want to help as many people as I can fall in love with food and cooking that makes them feel good.
Ok super. Let’s now shift to the main part of our discussion about creating a successful garden to grow your own food. Can you help articulate a few reasons why people should be interested in making their own vegetable garden? For example, how is it better for our health? For the environment? For our wallet?
There are so many reasons. Overall, just as with everything in life, the more you understand something, the more respect you have for it. Learning about the process and growing vegetables yourself gives you so much more respect for the food. You enjoy it more and are more mindful about food waste. It honestly tastes different!
From a general health and environmental perspective, growing your own vegetables ensures you know exactly what you’re eating and reduces your carbon footprint.
Where should someone start if they would like to start a garden? Which resources would you recommend? Which plants should they start with?
Start by growing the veggies you like most, it’ll be more fun and you’ll look forward to eating them.
Vegetables that tend to be low maintenance and are typically used are salad greens, like lettuce, arugula and kale; herbs, such as basil, thyme and mint; potatoes and radishes.
These are also all foods you can plant from scraps. For example, you can replant the stem of your lettuce head or even a potato and they will take root and grow — talk about reducing waste!
Something I’m really proud of is the Climatarian Diet I helped create at Lifesum which focuses on reducing waste and overall sustainability.
Can you please share your “5 Things You Need To Know To Create A Successful Vegetable Garden To Grow Your Own Food”? If you can, please share a story or example for each.
- Animals and/or bugs will eat your plants. There’s just no way around it. So know your environment to best protect your babies. For example, there are tons of rabbits where I live. Despite my preventative efforts, just the other morning I woke up to find rabbits had eaten all of my mangolds. So I spent the morning re-fencing the area to hopefully keep them out.
- Good soil is everything. If you don’t have good soil, you will run into trouble. I’ve found that if you nourish the soil you have with bokashi, it will better retain water, worms and other nutrients that the plants need to thrive. Tomatoes, for example, are sensitive to dry soil. I learned this lesson the hard way a few years ago when I went on vacation and came home to find my tomatoes looking sad and the soil completely dry. But then once I watered them they began growing too fast because they were basically starving. Ever since then I use Biochar and a thick layer of grass to cover the soil to regulate water retention; it’s made a huge difference. Now, my tomatoes grow at an even pace.
- Weather matters. I would love to have a lemon tree. Sadly in Sweden, it’s too cold for one. Choose vegetables that suit your local climate.
- Don’t forget about the bees. Most vegetables need pollination, which is where bees are vital. Plant flowers along with your vegetables so they can help pollinate. This is a mistake I made two years ago. I didn’t plant any flowers near my zucchini plants. The zucchinis began to grow well but did not produce and then turned rotten due to lack of pollination.
- Be reasonable. It’s easy to overdo it, but be realistic about what you will actually consume. Will you really eat three zucchinis a day? If not, you do not need to grow three zucchini plants. This is yet another zucchini lesson I learned years ago. I had four plants which resulted in zucchinis all over the place that I had to eat, store and give away. These days, I grow one zucchini plant and mix it up with other vegetables instead.
What are the most common mistakes you have seen people make when they start a garden? What specifically can be done to avoid those errors?
I have so many friends who are super excited at the beginning of the season and put a lot of energy into their garden. But then once it gets too overwhelming, they just stop caring and then get disappointed.
So, don’t overdo it. It’s better to start small and figure things out along the way such as how much time you want to dedicate. And be prepared to make mistakes. We all do. I’ve been growing vegetables for over a decade, and I still have plants not growing or dying in my garden. It’s part of the process.
Also, make space for your plants. Many people overcrowd their plants, which is easy to do when planting seeds as you don’t know how many will sprout. In cases like this, be sure to prune and give your plants proper space to grow and for proper airflow. Lack of air can cause fungus and disease. Another tip is to use big pots so you don’t have to water as often, and the plants will be happier when they have space for their roots.
What are some of the best ways to keep the costs of gardening down?
- Soil is everything, and it’s actually easy to make your own with bokashi and compost.
- Save seeds from the beautiful veggies you grow to plant next season instead of buying more packets. Just remember to mark the container you store them in so you remember. There are many groups and forums online where you can share and swap seeds with other gardeners.
- Plant things that grow back. Planting perennials like mint, chives, parsley, Asparagus, and Jerusalem artichoke is a perfect way of not having to buy plants every year since they’ll grow back.
You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂
Don’t throw away vegetables! There are so many ways to use them. You can regrow some; make a stock for soups or to make rice; cut them down and freeze them for later; or toss them into a stew, soup, stir-fry or omelet.
There are also different ways of washing and storing your vegetables to make them last longer. Get to know how your refrigerator works and which part is colder and which part is warmer. For example, the front of the refrigerator is often warmer so it’s better to store cucumbers here so they don’t freeze. Meanwhile, potatoes onions and squash do better when stored in a cool, dark place such as a cool pantry
Is there a person in the world, or in the US with whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this, especially if we tag them. 🙂
Definitely Donna Hay. She is such an inspirational person and the way she creates dishes is pure magic. She’s truly an artist.
How can our readers further follow your work online?
Check out all of my recipes on the Lifesum app or follow me on Instagram @Matmuskler.
Thank you so much for the time you spent on this interview. We wish you only continued success and good health.
Julia Cedenblad Of Lifesum: 5 Things You Need To Know To Create A Successful Vegetable Garden To… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.