Discovering new activities, learning more about them (and yourself) is always a fun time. At least I think so.
In respect to gardening, I've been around it my entire life. My grandpa has been gardening longer than I've been alive. I weeded, planted plants, watered. No biggie.
But it's only recently that I discovered the culture of gardening. I know it seems silly, but I didn't give much consideration to where seeds came from. You see them at the garden center down the way. Done? Not by a long shot.
Ladies and gentleman, I've discovered seed porn.
I never knew this, but there are dozens of catalogs, websites, and smartphone apps dedicated to seeds. And containers and garden gadgets and even the gnomes. Really, it never occurred to me that there was this gardening subculture with super cool stuff! And that vegetables have variety names. I know we kinda, sorta know about varieties. We know acorn squash vs. butternut or a honeycrisp apple vs. red delicious. But if you picked up a cucumber in the grocery store, would you know if it's a Straight Eight or a Suyo Long. Bet you don't.
Here's a list of the catalogs I'm will receive or have received:
Burpee
Seed Savers Exchange (more heirloom specific)
Gurney's
Jung
Some of these catalogs started rolling in and I'm constantly shocked and amazed by all the produce I never even knew existed. Where is the Orange Crisp Watermelon in my grocery store?
And lord help you if you start delving into heirloom vegetables. Check it:
That's a Big Rainbow tomato. Yellow tomato not crazy enough for you?
Check out the pineberry, which has been blowing up the blogosphere lately.
It apparently tastes like pineapple. And it almost went extinct in 2003. Dutch farmers saved these bad boys.
My personal observation of this gardening renaissance (the farmer's markets, the corn being grown in the front yard) is that it's not only a desire to be self-sufficient and grow your own food not tarnished by genetic manipulation and covered in chemicals. It's also about general malaise with the industrial agriculture system and what it brings to our table. There is no pineberry at our table, or big rainbow tomato. You won't find them in the grocery store. Burpee alone has over 40 heirloom varieties of tomatoes for sale. How many types of tomatoes do you feel your grocery store carries? 3? 4?
And that's why farmer's markets rock. Small farmers committed to their craft get them to our table. I'm just trying to get the market action to occur in my backyard.
In respect to gardening, I've been around it my entire life. My grandpa has been gardening longer than I've been alive. I weeded, planted plants, watered. No biggie.
But it's only recently that I discovered the culture of gardening. I know it seems silly, but I didn't give much consideration to where seeds came from. You see them at the garden center down the way. Done? Not by a long shot.
Ladies and gentleman, I've discovered seed porn.
I never knew this, but there are dozens of catalogs, websites, and smartphone apps dedicated to seeds. And containers and garden gadgets and even the gnomes. Really, it never occurred to me that there was this gardening subculture with super cool stuff! And that vegetables have variety names. I know we kinda, sorta know about varieties. We know acorn squash vs. butternut or a honeycrisp apple vs. red delicious. But if you picked up a cucumber in the grocery store, would you know if it's a Straight Eight or a Suyo Long. Bet you don't.
Here's a list of the catalogs I'm will receive or have received:
Burpee
Seed Savers Exchange (more heirloom specific)
Gurney's
Jung
Some of these catalogs started rolling in and I'm constantly shocked and amazed by all the produce I never even knew existed. Where is the Orange Crisp Watermelon in my grocery store?
And lord help you if you start delving into heirloom vegetables. Check it:
That's a Big Rainbow tomato. Yellow tomato not crazy enough for you?
Check out the pineberry, which has been blowing up the blogosphere lately.
It apparently tastes like pineapple. And it almost went extinct in 2003. Dutch farmers saved these bad boys.
My personal observation of this gardening renaissance (the farmer's markets, the corn being grown in the front yard) is that it's not only a desire to be self-sufficient and grow your own food not tarnished by genetic manipulation and covered in chemicals. It's also about general malaise with the industrial agriculture system and what it brings to our table. There is no pineberry at our table, or big rainbow tomato. You won't find them in the grocery store. Burpee alone has over 40 heirloom varieties of tomatoes for sale. How many types of tomatoes do you feel your grocery store carries? 3? 4?
And that's why farmer's markets rock. Small farmers committed to their craft get them to our table. I'm just trying to get the market action to occur in my backyard.
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