Dear Heloise: Now that the holidays are over, many of us are longing for spring and planting our GARDENS. No matter how small the yard, it’s always fun to grow some of your own vegetables.

Tomatoes are easy to grow in a wire cage or even in a pot. There’s nothing like homegrown vegetables, picked when they are ripe and ready to be eaten. It’s also nice to get the kids involved and teach them where their food comes from and how healthy it is to grow food that isn’t coated with wax or insect sprays, or isn’t genetically modified. — Steve and Gloria, Marshall, Ill.

Steve and Gloria, I love growing a few tomatoes, onions and lettuce. It’s always fresh and has a wonderful flavor when it comes straight from the garden. It’s also a great sense of accomplishment to see the results and then use those veggies in something like the recipe coming up next. — Heloise

SOUP WEATHER

Dear Readers: I love soup weather, and there’s nothing like a hearty, healthy bowl of vegetable soup to warm a chilly evening. One of my favorite recipes is Garden Cheddar Soup. To make it, you’ll need:

2 carrots, peeled and sliced

2 small zucchini, halved and sliced

2 tomatoes, peeled and cut into wedges

1 celery stalk, sliced

1 cup portobello mushrooms, sliced

1 onion, halved and sliced

2 garlic cloves, minced

4 1/2 cups beef broth

1 1/2 cups tomato juice

1 tablespoon fresh basil, minced

1/2 cup dry red wine

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground pepper

2 tablespoons fresh parsley, minced

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

In a stockpot, add first nine ingredients and heat to boiling. Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes or until the vegetables are tender. Stir in basil, wine, salt, pepper and parsley just before serving. Sprinkle the top of each serving with cheddar cheese. You’ll find this delicious recipe and over a dozen more in my Spectacular Soups pamphlet, which you can have by sending $5 and a long, self-addressed, stamped (70 cents) envelope to: Heloise/Soup, P.O. Box 795001, San Antonio, TX 78279-5001. Or you can order it online at www.Heloise.com. Did you know that when a soup recipe calls for adding wine, generally you’ll pour in 1 teaspoon of wine to every cup of soup? Or you can just leave the wine out. — Heloise

PEANUT BUTTER

Dear Heloise: How long will peanut butter last once it’s been opened? — Lorna R., Bartlesville, Okla.

Lorna, peanut butter keeps well in the pantry for about two to three months after opening. Then refrigerate it to last another three to four months. — Heloise

COTTAGE CHEESE

Dear Heloise: Why is cottage cheese considered “diet food”? — Kathy Y., Durango, Colo.

Kathy, probably because it’s usually made from skim milk, and it’s fresh and unfermented. Cottage cheese is also low in fat, contains calcium and protein, but is relatively high in sodium compared with other dairy products. — Heloise

——

Hints from Heloise run occasionally in Lifestyles. Readers may send a hint to Heloise, P.O. Box 795000, San Antonio, Texas 78279-5000, fax it to 210-HELOISE, or email: Heloise@Heloise.com. Letters won’t be answered personally.