Wednesday 18 June 2008

GROWING FOOD FROM FRIENDS

As I was doing this and that in my vegetable garden today I realised that so many of the things I am currently growing are from seed or plants that someone has given me, through our seedsavers group mostly.

Here is the list:
Broccoli, originally from Kath but also some from Sally (garden group)
Green wave mustard,purple peas, water cress, miners' lettuce, parsnips and carrots from Deb
Corn mache, rhubarb and artichokes from Veggie Gnome
Silverbeet from Rosemary (friend)
Coloured silver beets (or rainbow chard) and some lettuce from Andrew
Cos and oakleaf lettuce from Joy
Celery from Kathy (garden group)
Cabbages from Ken (blog exchange)
Parsley and chervil from Glenys (garden group)
Tatsoi, Egyptian broad beans and tarragon from Robert (friend)
Galangal and horseradish from Maggie and Bob
Garlic and some fennel from Tony Scarfo
Beetroot (someone from seedsavers, but who?)
Probably I have forgotten someone and something - I am sorry!

Now that is a pretty lovely way to get your food. Every time I pick any of those I think of the person who gave it to me and somewhere there are people growing stuff from seeds or plants they got from me. If only people who shop in supermarkets could instead feel the joy of eating this way the world's problems would reduce and people may even stop fighting with each other and start swapping seeds and recipes instead!

I am sure it must be good for our collective mental and physical well-being to not only grow food from bought seed but to go one step further and connect with our neighbours, friends and garden groups to swap seeds, plants and stories. If only we could opt for my 2020 vision instead of our Prime Minister's, then we would be well on the way to changing lives and rebalancing the communal psyche.

....I just thought I would put on this photo of my Japanese bunching onions - almost too beautiful to eat. I picked them and a basket of Asian greens for dinner. I am cooking a recipe from Rick Stein's 'Seafood Odyssey' that I call Indian coconut seafood and it has these lovely puris that you make and serve with it - a kind of quick, crisp, flat bread. I add lots of Asian greens but they are not in the original recipe....actually neither are the spring onions.

2 comments:

Maggie said...

It all sounds good Kate.
At the moment I am watching Rick Stein's Mediterranean Escape, in this he talks about the "food of the poor", as being the best. Kitchen gardeners know this, cook food simply with minimal ingredients and cooking, always the best!

Veggie Gnome said...

I have quite a few plants that have either been grown from friends' cuttings or seeds. It's lovely to walk through the garden and check how Orest's orange tree or garlic is doing, or what Maria's oregano is up to (taking over the garden, most likely), or Julia's lilac and begonia, etc. etc... There doesn't seem to be a corner in the garden where I am not reminded of good friends and family.