These little beauties are popping up outside my front door.
The days are getting longer. The food is getting greener. And my belly is getting bigger. All these things excite me to no end. They are promises of a full summer. They are promises of birth and renewal. They are foreshadowing of light and warmth.
Do you see how many greens are featured in the share this week? A whole row. It’s amazing to me, after a long winter of root veggies and a pesty pregnant appetite, that Spring comes so early and that fresh foods are available once again.
And, man, are those greens dirty!
The dirtiness slew me
I know: I shouldn’t be shocked. Plants grow in the earth, and the earth is soil, dirt and grime. Real food is dirty food. But, seriously, look at how much dirt got on my counter after cutting up one single head of romaine lettuce!
The truth is that all food is from the dirt, even the pre-washed, plastic bagged salads in the supermarket. We are made from dirt and dust. I think there’s a certain degree of mental healthiness that is sustained when we stop trying to sanitize ourselves from our own humanity with excessive anti-bacterial gels and plastic sanitary bubbles. I like going back to the soil. I like getting a little dirt under my fingernails. I like washing and sorting my own food. It’s slower, realer, more a part of me that way.
Freshly washed romaine lettuce
I’m looking forward to letting baby Wetzel romp in the dirt. Unsanitized. Putting things in that little mouth and exploring the varied textures, colors and sounds of the natural world. Did you know that kids on farms and rural areas that experience their environments more tend to be healthier and have fewer allergies? That’s what I want for my little squirt. To be at peace with nature: mentally, emotionally and physically.
As for myself, I cherish the greens while they last. Salad, here I chomp!
By ekwetzel
2011-03-14
WEEK 36
(Top Row)
Carrots
Potatoes
Turnip
Parsnip
2 Onions
Apples in the middle
(Bottom Row)
Rainbow Chard
Romaine Lettuce
Parsley
2 (Huge) Leeks
Comments are closed.