I got wind today of this great op-ed piece in the Wall Street Journal from one of my favorite new Twitter friends Marion Nestle. It was written by George Ball, CEO of the W. Altee Burpee Company, a company I know very well because as a kid I was one of those who grew a vegetable garden, year after year, in my parents' suburban backyard. What he is saying is right on: If kids get a chance to touch soil and seeds first hand and watch what they sow grow slowly and steadily (and sometimes rather drooply and sometimes explosively) into something they can reap, their attitude toward "real" food might indeed change. Vegetables and fruits, along with the seasons, bugs, dirt, tools, weeds, and sun, wind and rain, are amazing teachers! I learned about bountiful abundance, self-sufficiency, trial and error, incompatability, planning, resourcefulness, patience (when will those tomatoes be ready gosh darn it), and pride in a job well-done.
My kids have helped grow some sort of plant every year of their lives, whether we had a big backyard or moved to a high-rise apartment with a balcony. This year it was 2 garden boxes on the balcony with radishes, sunflowers, and marigolds. Because its Canada (and I'm still thinking on California "you can grow all year round" time), our sunflowers were small and dainty, our radishes barely made it and the marigolds said "Aw forget it!" by the time the first frosty dip in temperature hit us in September. But is was still worth it and the dried out stalks of our sunflowers still poke stoically out of the snow accumulation now that it's January...waiting for the spring freeze and another tiny patch of knowledge!
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