These Are The Vegetables Ina Garten Grows In Her Garden

While Ina Garten may be okay with you using store-bought ingredients, the Barefoot Contessa actually goes the extra mile with her own fresh ingredients and even with her secret weapon, booze. Yes, Garten's garden includes all the usual suspects, including fragrant herbs, vegetables, fruits, and other aromatic plants that she uses to make her dishes extra delicious. 

She recently gave a tour of her grounds via Instagram, and even though some of the plants she's growing are pretty much garden staples, there are several more intriguing items that you may be surprised she's planted. According to Food52, the cookbook author and Food Network star has a plethora of tomatoes growing. We understand that tomatoes aren't exactly anything new you'd find in homegrown gardens. But Garten, actually, does something interesting with her tomatoes. For starters, she grows several varieties of the fruit, including small cherry tomatoes. This is a great tip for foodies with a green thumb, especially since cherry tomatoes taste different from their full-size counterparts and can be used in a wide array of dishes. In fact, Food52 noted that Garten plans to use the tomatoes in salads, and uses a teepee-style cage to allow her tomatoes to flourish beautifully. 

Herbs are also prominently on display in Garten's garden. Herbs can be used in a variety of ways, from garnishing a dish to adding a new layer of flavor. In the Instagram tour video of her garden, she specifically calls out sage, chives, thyme, and tarragon. However, we can't help but think that she may have a bit of basil and rosemary in there, too. Garten states in the video that fresh herbs are easy and small enough to grow inside the home on a windowsill. 

Another interesting plant in Garten's garden is lavender. Not only does she grow lavender for the smell and to repel bugs (via Food52), but you can also cook with it, creating lavender-infused simple syrups for cocktails. Additionally, Garten keeps fig trees in her yard. Per Garten's two recipes on Food Network, she's also used figs to make jam or fresh preserves and even bacon-wrapped appetizers.