Back to my farming roots...

Many of my ancestors worked the land. Out of necessity, out of profession, out of love for it. I am slowly finding something in myself that I didn't realize existed. A desire for a more simple, more healthful, more organic way of life, that is sustained from the home, rather than from the nearest Save-On Foods.

I know in this day and age, living in a city, this is very complicated and nearly impossible. I just want to do it as much as it is possible.

I've been totally inspired by one of the books in this stack: homegrown, pure and simple, by chef Michel Nischan. Here are some excerpts:

Michel was raised in a small house in a suburban area where his mother planted vegetables all through the back yard up to the sliding glass doors! I love the dedication in that!

"In late spring, summer, and fall, we harvested fresh vegetables; in early spring and winter, we ate the canned, preserved and frozen vegetables and fruits Mom had put up in the fall."

I would LOVE to be able to do this!

"In those days, most people exercised similar common sense when it came to feeding families. For one thing, more families still farmed or were close to farming roots. Convenience foods may have been making inroads, but the way Americans actually cooked in the 1950s and 60s was pretty close to how they had cooked in earlier decades. Freezers were not as efficient, kitchens had no microwaves, and supermarkets didn't offer the staggering array of packaged, prepared foods they do now. Takeout was not a noun, and a delivered pizza was still a novelty.

In two short generations, we find ourselves removed from farming and the concept that goes along with it, which is one of frugality amid abundance. It is a way of life that not only makes good sense but also promotes good health."

I love love love that bit about the mindset of frugality amid abundance. Are you inspired to start your own vegetable plot yet? I am!

preamble

i've discovered over the past few years that a love of plants and gardening that I didn't expect or know I possessed. this has been helped along by the fact that my hubby is a landscaper by trade, or a 'professional digger' as some call him. i remember joking with my grandma once long ago about how we both had an unnatural ability to kill plants that were entrusted to our care. well, i'm learning to keep them alive!
(there are, of course, still exceptions, such as the lovely tropical plant that is hardy to 15 degrees that weathered a severe snow storm a month ago and has been reduced to scraggly sticks. but even the fact that i know what the word hardy means denotes some progress on my part (0:)
i love watching plants grow from a little brown speck to a bright, living, beautiful thing. i love working in the dirt and seeing the reward. i love that they fall asleep in winter and awaken again in the spring, even better than last year. i love the peace and rest that i find in the garden. and i love that it's a place for family to work together and create something beautiful.
so i'm starting this brand new gardening blog. it's mainly for me. it's so i can look back and see the transformations that my garden goes through. it's for record-keeping. and it's to keep track of all those long plant names that don't stay in my head very long, so i can remember which plant needs what, and what my favorites are called for next time!
you may find yourself here if you enjoy plants as well. or if you want to enjoy them vicariously without actually doing anything! or if you want to see my hubby's landscaping handiwork occasionally. (i will also be placing a link on here soon to a new blog promoting his services!) in any case, feel free to comment, admire, and please, please, if you have any advice....it is definitely welcome! i am just beginning after all.