Connecting to the Earth!

Well, spring is on in full effect and summer is just around the corner! It must be time to plant the vegetable garden, and that is exactly what I was able to do yesterday.  As I squat down in the dirt with the veteran neighbours around me making sure I’m doing everything accurately, I get very excited about what is to come from all of the plants I’m placing in the ground. I’m amazed that the money I spent – about $30.00 – will give me an abundance of tomatoes, cucumbers, zucchini, bell peppers, banana peppers, eggplants, butternut squash, acorn squash, beans and brussel sprouts (ok, the brussel sprouts are new this year and I’m excited to see how they come out of the ground!).  As my grandmother keeps telling me to put gloves on so that I don’t get my hands dirty, I must admit, that’s my favourite part.  Connecting to the Earth, to nature, where the good things grow, how things were many many years ago and I am grateful that I still take the time to do this.

With science and technology we have advanced in our world, and for most cases, this has been very much needed.  When it comes to food, the science and technology has clearly advanced our food system into something that is just not what we, as humans, were designed to live on on a daily basis.  As we hear of more issues that “food” has created, I have to constantly remind people that this “food” in boxes and packages and items that are OK to stay on shelves for 6 months to 2 years is not REAL food at all, and that those foods that come most naturally from the earth are what we as humans were meant to live and thrive on.  Yes, the snack from time to time, the celebratory dinner with a cake involved is ok to have in moderation, but with everything the food system is hiding in packages these days, we have to become really familiar with a food label and the ingredient list to know if a food is truly safe for us to eat.

If you’re unsure about gardening, try a little plant first.  Tomatoes are a great staple and an easy place to start.  One or two tomato plants will bring you fresh tomato salads all summer long, roasted in the oven for a homemade pasta sauce, sliced in a sandwich or simply cut up with a pinch of salt.  Find a small pot to give the plant the space to grow, in a space where there’s lots of sun, and make sure you don’t let that soil dry up.  A little water each day, a little more on really dry days, and lay off when the rain comes down.  Fresh herbs are another great place to start with – parsley, basil, rosemary can really add flavor to any dish you make and be made into a pesto when quantity gets too much (check out the different pesto recipes available online – http://www.theyummylife.com/25_pesto_recipes).

All you need to do is try!  Take that little risk….you really can’t go wrong, and if the plant dies, think about what you may have done wrong and just make it better next time!