"Lessons Learned in the Garden & from Jamie"....

I have long admired Jamie Oliver's views on growing your own food, preparing it in simple, yet lovely ways, & sharing the process with those you love, especially your children.
If you read this blog, or know me personally, you know that gardening is an important part of my life. I feel I am just scratching the surface as far as my knowledge is concerned, but am constantly striving to learn more.

The idea of being a "sustainable suburban farmer" is my goal. I am beginning small, with raised beds filled with what I refer to as "salad fixings".....lettuce, tomatoes, shallots, radishes & carrots. I have another bed filled with herbs, that I use often, such as "rosemary & dill" for bread,
"basil" for pesto... & of course "lavender" just for my own well-being.
And of course there is always room( or maybe not?) for zucchini, yellow squash, & pumpkins....and last but not forgotten about ..."flowers"!.....
Oh! I must grow bouquets!....it simply feeds the spirit!

So back to Jamie Oliver....who's show "Jamie at Home" on the Cooking channel is definitely a must see!.... Jamie was talking about, how so many children these days are not exposed at all to gardening, & in turn not at all in favor of eating & enjoying vegetables. He was even saying how years ago there was not a person alive not in love with strawberries, but now how you run across children who don't like them?, ....Or feel the same about carrots or greens or onions?
( just because they are not exposed or are eating under-ripe grocery store varieties!?)

The answer here is to expose children to vegetables,... through growing vegetables with them. Like Jamie says it is not difficult....& I agree!
My grandson Andrew & I love being together working in the garden!.... After all,... getting dirty, playing with water & being outdoors is what long summer days are all about.
Not only are we spending time together & working together, but the conversations that we find ourselves in are possibly the most important.
We chat about how bugs & bees are helping us garden, not out to harm us. We talk about how shallots are so sweet compared to onions,.... & how basil leaves & tomatoes picked right off the vine are the best "lunch" ever.

And the best lessons too are the ones brought back into the kitchen....When we return to the kitchen, Andrew is learning to clean the vegetables, to cut the lettuces, & to take the scraps back out to the compost bin....Together we are creating salads & Andrew is realizing that salad & vegetables are amazingly delicious, eating every bit of green off his plate.

I guess my message here is this...
* create a garden....no matter the size
* grown vegetables
* get your children involved
* watch "Jamie At Home"
* improve your diet
* improve your life

Thank you for listening....

heidi
xo
( photos courtesy of Jamie Oliver)