I wonder why our garden gate fills such a need in my soul. I revel in the simplicity of the gate opening wide; sun, soil, water, and seed that know exactly what to do. I impatiently tend, waiting for seedlings to push to light.
Notice the cholla cacti brooding nearby like desert sentinels? I shy my eyes away. Uhm...am I delusional? Whose idea was this anyway? A cactus is growing five feet away. Am I insane to try and grow vegetables in the high desert? Bitter cold nights? Relentless wind? Sun splintering the earth into deep crevices during the day?
What sparked the decision to grow our own food? On a road trip discussing a magazine article, we were talking about "empty food" and learning to reset the table in the land of plenty. Soil depletion, reversing the nutritional decline of fruits and vegetables that accompany the widespread use of agricultural chemicals, additives, and produce varieties selected primary for yield--not quality--all led to the decision to plant a garden for our health.
I read, "Even our ever expanding bellies may be due in part to nutrient declines in our foods. Paul Hepperly, director of research at the Rodale Institute, thinks we may be responding like cattle do."
"Cattle will eat more of hay that's been rained on and had most of the nutrients leach out than they normally would," he says. The animals get these big bellies, and they're unhealthy, but they're just trying to get their nutrients. Ranchers know that if they have animals with hay belly, they have poor quality food. What we've done with the erosion of nutrient content in our foods--what we've done with additives, processing, and artificial agricultural production methods--is that we have basically produced a hay belly nation."
"Cattle will eat more of hay that's been rained on and had most of the nutrients leach out than they normally would," he says. The animals get these big bellies, and they're unhealthy, but they're just trying to get their nutrients. Ranchers know that if they have animals with hay belly, they have poor quality food. What we've done with the erosion of nutrient content in our foods--what we've done with additives, processing, and artificial agricultural production methods--is that we have basically produced a hay belly nation."
I started to look at people's bellies in a different light. Hay bellies everywhere; all shapes, sizes, and ages--even children. I glanced down at the muffin top spilling over the top of my jeans. I need to change my life now. We went up to the community seed exchange in Dixon, NM hosted by Seed Savers Exchange. For a small donation, the community hall was packed with gardeners donating seeds, standing room only, filling our small sacks with seeds of Shiraz beets, Anasazi beans, purple Fava beans, Kuri squash, butternuts for fall and Hokkaido Blue Squash. A community grassroots movement thrives as gardeners help people learn to grow their own healthy food.
The garden gate. My love of gardens as a child. Childhood memories of the Selfish Giant by Oscar Wilde and the Secret Garden. This is my grandmother in her garden. She planted by the moon and gardened from the heart. As a child I remember dahlias as big as dinner plates, caught under the eaves of the house as they lumbered towards the sky. Fragrant herbs for pickling and preserving mixed with rows of cabbage. Lily pollen stained her cheeks as she breathed in the heady fragrance.
Life is moving full circle now. I'll post photos as the garden grows and share photos of our "Mojito Garden" for those hot New Mexican nights.
Hay Belly Nation--time for me to wake up.
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