Thursday, June 13, 2013

Gardening et moi

I spent the morning digging in our neglected vegetable patch to put in some plants someone gave us as a present of sorts and which I felt obliged to plant.  I forked and spaded, sieved and raked, fed fertilizer and planted.  I put in pea canes, strung miles of green twine, gently tied loose knots so as not to injure tender stalks.  I squished slugs and slapped flies all while wearing a hat that made me look like my grandfather, a sweatshirt that was too hot and wellies that were cooking my feet.   Now here's what I want to know:  why would anyone want to do this?  Why, when there are perfectly good green grocers and farm shops would a person WANT to spend the morning doing this? All you end up with is your food covered in dirt and bugs. I simply don't get it.  At the farm shop everything is clean and washed and pretty.  Not wormy and sluggy and muddy.  Have you ever grown your own kale?  Have you? Huh?  Have you ever watched the little white worms float to the surface when you cook it?  How about have you ever noticed the little white worms AFTER YOU HAVE ALREADY EATEN SOME OF YOUR DELICIOUS HOME GROWN KALE?????  And don't tell me I didn't wash it well enough.  Trust me.  I washed it.   But of course, we're all organic now and I washed it in water.  Probably I was supposed to use aloe vera and the juice of freshly squeezed rosehips and fairy dust.  So.  I let organic farmers do my farming. That's what organic farmers are FOR.  And if you're going to give me a present, give me something that doesn't come with slugs included.