Pinakbet Recipe: Cooking Healthy Meals Using Vegetables We Grow at Home

Farming is our family’s main source of income. We rely on long term crops like rice, corn and sugarcane. These crops take months before harvest, and while we wait, expenses never stop. Every day we still need a budget for food, household needs and farm financing. Because of this, I felt the need to help my husband in simple but practical ways so we could save, even little by little.

One thing I did was start planting easy vegetables near our home. I focused on crops that are simple to grow and useful for daily cooking. I planted string beans, eggplant, sponge gourd and bitter gourd. The okra I buy it from our neighbor’s mini garden also, and the squash is coming from my brothers in our farm in the mountain which I also shared in my previous blog. Have these vegetables ready anytime really helps us reduce our daily food expenses. Instead of buying vegetables from the market, I just pick up what we need.

Cooking is more enjoyable for me when the family si complete and there is enough food for everyone. That day, I decided to go to my sister-in-law’s house so my child could also play and bond with her cousins. While the kids were busy playing, I started preparing our meal.

First, I gathered all the vegetables. I washed them carefully ad sliced everything properly. Once everything was ready, I started cooking pinakbet. I heated the pan and added pork first so it could release its own oil. When the pork was ready, I sauteed onion and garlic until fragrant. After that, I added the vegetables that take longer to cook like malunggay fruit, squash and string beans. I let them simmer for a while before adding the eggplant, bitter guard and okra. I also added green chili for extra flavor.

When the dish was finally cooked, I called everyone to eat. We shared the meal together as a family. I felt fulfilling to see my family eating food that mostly came from our own efforts. Simple vegetable planting may not seem like much, but for us, it makes a big impact, it helps us save to our budget and eat healthier.

Thank you for reading my story, this is my owned picture. The lead photo was edited in Canva.