Good Food and Gardening Go Together
Recently, while doing a little research on the indigenous foods of the Americas I discovered a very interesting fact. The green bean that I love is really a kidney bean. I mean that the YOUNG elegant green spear like vegetable grows up to be a big red kidney bean. Why didn’t I know this? At one time, I grew almost all the vegetables we ate. I had a very extensive garden and was often up at 5:00 am before work picking strawberries or some such thing. I never grew green beans though. So, I missed this very interesting tidbit of food knowledge.
This brings out the fact that Americans are usually supplemental gardeners. Growing what is easy or just what they are inclined to grow. My Italian friend knew all about the green bean growing up to be a kidney bean. Her family garden was extensive and necessary. Our family garden was tomatoes and peppers. My personal garden was exotic and useful. I grew sorrel for our salads, heirloom tomatoes, brussel sprouts, shallots and several varieties of hard to get spicy peppers. We also had strawberries and grapes. If this gives you a longing for spring, good for you. I’m starting to plan our backyard garden and if you haven’t started yours, it’s time. If you don’t have room for a garden, consider pots. Lettuce can be sprinkled in between flowers and blueberry bushes make great landscape additions. Growing your own food can be incredibly rewarding and have a significant impact on your food budget. Now is the time to start.