Hello Friends! Is your immune system tired, run-down, listless? Does it poop out in winter? You’re not alone. The cold, the stress of the holidays, and the lack of sunlight all conspire to weaken your defenses against the diseases that characterize this time of year.

Don’t fall prey to winter disease woes! The answer to all your problems is in your own kitchen garden. Here are the best superfoods to grow there to strengthen your defenses this cold/flu season.

Ginger

This knobby root is possibly the best thing to have on hand at this time of year. Ginger, aside from being a staple holiday flavor, contains compounds that basically seek and destroy cold and flu viruses.

You could say they’re…Ginja Assassins.

With its energizing scent, it was used in Asian cultures as a medicinal tea, decoction, scent, and flavoring in many dishes for centuries—pickled ginger as a palate cleanser at the sushi bar, Moo Goo Gai Pan, Stir-fried anything, etc.

Soak any ginger root you’d buy for cooking overnight in warm water and cut it into several pieces. Then plant the cut pieces in a container full of loose potting soil (you don’t want the soil to pack down like brown sugar when you water it, but stay loose and crumbly) just below the soil surface, and be sure to space them apart as evenly as you can. How many pieces you want to plant will depend on the size of your container (between 3 and 4 is ideal for a 14” diameter, 12” deep pot).

Place the pot in a warm, shady spot (too much cold air will stunt this Asian plant’s growth). Water lightly at first, then increase watering as little green ginger shoots appear above the soil. Use the new roots any way you like—tea is especially helpful but grated ginger adds authenticity to economical stir-fry dishes.

Peppermint

It’s most widely known for flavoring candy canes but there’s not much this herb doesn’t do—it soothes an upset stomach, relieves a sore throat, and is an excellent decongestant due to its high menthol content (yes, that’s the same menthol that’s in the Vick’s Vaporub you stock up on this time of year).  And it has antiseptic properties to boot.

Peppermint’s fragrant green leaves add a delicious note to soup or salad (pair with basil and parsley for a virus-busting triple-threat herb medley). But perhaps the best way to take advantage of peppermint’s lovely properties is by making the clean leaves into a hot herbal tea.

Peppermint is actually one of the best plants for indoor growing, as it enjoys cool, shady spots, and also because it is best grown in containers where the plants won’t be able to take over the garden (and they will try).

Lemongrass

This is a winter health superstar that doubles as décor when you’re not eating it for your health; it looks like any other decorative grass, but has the bonus of being pleasantly fragrant—like a lemon, but grass is much easier to grow than a lemon tree.

Lemongrass not only relieves cough and nasal congestion, but is also filled with chemical compounds that fight anxiety (and everybody knows that stress and anxiety weakens the immune system).

To grow lemongrass, simply copy that green onion growing trick that’s so popular on Pinterest right now—buy lemongrass stalks and keep them growing in a glass of water until you’re ready to transplant into a container. Once you hit that point, transplant to your container of choice (anything with drainage holes is great) and keep well-watered (but not overwatered, the soil should be just moist).

Lemongrass is wonderful as tea (especially when paired with ginger) but the only limit on its use is your own ingenuity.

Onion

Not only is it a delicious staple in nearly every main course, but the common onion is a true superfood with properties that include two powers especially appropriate for cold and flu season.

Apart from the wonders that organic compounds in onions work on cholesterol and other heart problems, there exist naturally in onions chemicals that boost the effects of vitamin C. Onions have also been used to treat inflammation and infection for centuries.

Grow onions from seed in containers with ten inches of soil at least—the bulbs and roots need room to spread out!

Fennel

This mildly licorice-flavored bulb has long been cultivated and prized by chefs, and it’s a lovely addition to winter vegetable soups and salads. This is one of the most underappreciated veggies out there—low in calories, high in vitamin C, high in fiber and minerals.

Plant fennel seeds ¼” into moistened, deep soil, and give the pot as much sunlight as you can.

Basil

This wonderful caprese component is wonderful in salads, tea, pizza, soup—maybe this is just me, but there isn’t much that fresh, refreshing basil isn’t good in. Good news for those who feel similarly: Basil has been used by traditional healers to treat coughs and congestion for years!

Basil will grow best in a container with adequate drainage that’s been filled with coarse, well-draining soil. Keep the soil just moist, and get the plants 6 hours of sun each day.

Whether you have a small kitchen garden to fit in your Toronto apartment rental or a separate sunroom attached to your home, these herbs will ensure that you and yours have superfoods on hand indoors when the newest bug starts making its rounds at the local schools!

About the Author:

Leslie Mason is a homemaker and garden expert. Leslie enjoys writing (including research at sites like https://www.metcap.com/home/ , gardening, do-it-yourself projects, and fixing up the house.