Yesterday I got back something I gave away. In the spring I gave extra seedlings to a friend and yesterday she gave one back- as a fully grown plant. The Tiara cabbage was a new venture for me. Described as a lettuce-like cabbage with tender leaves in the William Dam catalogue.
In the past, when SAIT instructors asked chef apprentices to get fresh vegetables from the school’s large walk-in coolers, they sometimes received blank stares. Names and appearances of vegetables were a mystery to many new apprentices. “The main reason we put so much extra time into the garden is to simply connect our students to the food. It’s one thing to teach them the skills of how to cook but a whole other thing to teach them about FOOD…”
The more you know about your food the more you will enjoy it. I believe there is a ‘moral’ taste of food, if you know what went into producing it (socially and environmentally) your perception of what it will taste like is heightened. And the best way to appreciate good food is to grow it yourself and prepare it for friends and family – tell the story of food.
Joy is in the eye of the beholder- blooms on Apples in Qualicum Beach today are bringing so much happiness.
In the end we came up with a short list of plants to try in my straw bale, deer exposed garden. I crowd sourced the answer and together with over 100 people we decided if you are thinking ahead to spring and wonder what might grow in an area likely to be visited by deer, these vegetables are worth a try:
…this year there will be no flame throwing. Instead, I am playing with straw bale gardening. I picked up the bales on January 1 because they need to “season” a bit before planting. In farmer lingo they will go “punky” or rotten…..
