Food

I watched a few movies over the past few days, which were Food, Inc., and Ingredients. I'm certain that I didn't get the whole message from them, but they each have renewed my interest in growing my own vegetables. I used to spend a lot of time in the garden, but not so much anymore. This summer, I have grown and harvested more tomatoes than I can eat. They've been delicious and abundant. I always say that you can't buy tomatoes this good; you have to grow them yourself. Despite that, I don't tend to the garden much anymore. It's looking unkempt right now. I rarely go out there, and now I've come to feel it's a shame. Maybe it's the heat. Or, maybe it's that I'm expecting to move.

Back to the movies. What struck me was the footage of small-scale commercial gardens, and the interviews with the caretakers. Seeing the open space, the variety of crops, the neatness and order of it, was wonderful for me. Growing food can be messy and hard work, but one may not get that impression from these films. I temporarily forgot about the labor of growing food, and lost myself in the beauty of it. But it wasn't only the large-scale order of the farm, or the vast greenness of the valley that got me. The plants themselves are to attractive. I saw dinosaur kale, kohlrabi, broccoli raab, lettuce, various salad green tomatoes, okra and more. And when I saw the food grown in such abundance, and then distributed locally, it makes me feel generous. With some of the gardens, strangers cooperate on the work of growing the food, and then share the harvest. It'd be nice if things really were like that. Maybe they are. Maybe they can be.

But back to the beauty of the gardens. I can see why an animal would be drawn to take a bite of these plants. And then there's the soil! This would be surprising to non-gardeners, but the most lovely part of gardening may be the experience of the soil. Good soil is as attractive as any other plant, animal, or insect out there. It's soft, uniform, crumbly, not wet or dry. You'll find worms and other creatures. To smell of good soil is a unique experience. To me there is something that just seems right about good soil. It's almost moral, as if it is in obedience to the way things ought to be. But the point is this all reminded me that I have grown good food myself in the past, and I suppose I could do it again.

Now, I can't live off the land by my gardening ability. But I'm certain I can provide an inexpensive, perennial, and nutritious supplement to my diet. For the most part, the food right out of my garden cannot be matched in flavor, price (and probably nutrition) by food from the supermarket. I grow and eat what is in season and grows well in my garden. I don't undertake extreme measures to force what doesn't grow well for me.

So, as part of my renewed interest I thought I make a quick list of some plants that are a good bet for me.

(1) Lettuce. I've had excellent success with Black Seeded Simpson and Romain varieties. Sow Black Seeded Simpson directly in early/mid September, and harvest until the first hard freeze. Romain works well when planted very early in the spring, perhaps around valentines day.

(2) Mustard greens. I'll probably never grow anything besides Florida Broad Leaf. Seed directly in early/mid September, and harvest well into winter. I'm still eating mustard greens in December and even January. I haven't made a spring planting yet. Easy to grow, and provides an abundant harvest. Some aphids will appear, but won't significantly degrade the crop. These took some experimenting to learn to cook, but the best method turned out to be really easy. Chop finely and simmer them for about 10 minutes, and then drain very well (I toss them is a stainer to drain). This is the key: they are best served somewhat dry, in my opinion. Some seasoning with salt is in order. Sometimes I like pepper sauce too. I only cook them because they are too coarse to eat raw.

(3) Collards/Kale. Cultivation and cooking is similar to mustard greens, but they are more cold hardy and require a little longer cooking.

(4) Broccoli. I originally had great success with the Packman variety. They way a knife cuts through broccoli that's fresh from the garden must be experienced. Supermarket varieties are tougher and less tasty, of course. The bad news is i have not had much success with broccoli in recent years. The heads form, but then quickly bolt to seed. The problem is relying on transplants. I think the nurseries sell the transplants not when they need to be sold, but when people are in the seasonal mood to buy them. I had the best luck with broccoli when planted in early Febrary.

(5) Tomatoes. There are many good varieties. The problem is that the seasons where I live are not a good fit for tomatoes, but it can be done. The summer gets too hot to plant in summer, so they must be planted in early spring. How early? As early as possible. But as you gamble on earlier plantings you will encounter cold temperatures and wind. But early to mid March will work.

(6) Okra. Emerald is good. So is Clemson Spineless. I have usually grown my own transplants, even though that is discouraged by the experts. The advantage of okra compared to other garden vegetables is that it stands up to the heat of summer. In fact, okra can be harvested into the early fall. Okra is one plant that makes the garden perennial, since it can be harvested all summer.