Have you ever read about the Blue Zones? These are places in the world where people routinely live long into their 100’s. I don’t mean they are kept alive on machines either. They are happy, healthy, mentally sharp and active. We don’t have to move to one of these places to achieve this goal. We just have to adopt their habits. One of them is eating more fruits and vegetables.
When I was a kid the fruits and vegetables you bought in the market had more flavor. That’s because they were grown locally. Locally grown food doesn’t have to make long trips on trucks or container ships. So farmers grew what tastes good, not just what can survive the trip. What’s closer to home than your own backyard or patio? If you have ever eaten a home grown tomato or strawberry, then you know the difference. They just taste better. It’s like a flavor explosion in your mouth!
When my daughter was little, we lived on a half acre in Rancho Cucamonga. I grew many types of fruit and vegetables. We ate what we picked. The boysenberries never made it into the house. We ate them right off the vine. Nothing beats that! Here’s what I believe, she loves fruit and vegetables now because of the great flavors she grew up eating. She is raising my grandsons eating the same way. I don’t have to worry about any of them becoming overweight. Diabetes and heart disease aren’t even on our radar. When I was little I remember hearing the phrase, you are what you eat. No wonder so many people are having problems. “Garbage in garbage out.”
Eating home grown fruit and vegetables gives you great flavors and control over how the food is grown. I grow organically- no chemicals, just natural ingredients. I use clean pots, Mel’s Mix organic soil, and water by hand (unless it rains...again). Because everything is easy to reach, I can spot little critters trying to snack on my plants. I catch them before they have a chance to multiply, so no chemicals are needed! As simple as this is, I still can't control the weather.
The weather this spring has been interesting. Okay. I’m being nice here. Interesting wasn’t the first adjective that jumped into my head. The lack of consistent sunshine has had a bizarre and frustrating effect on my crops so far. Everything is tiny. I don’t mean small. I mean tiny. In the Blue Zones people eat small meals several times during the day. This isn’t difficult when your zucchini and summer squash are Tinkerbell sized. I’m not kidding. Just look at the first crop I harvested. But, because I grew it myself, it was delicious. Now, if it ever warms up…and stays that way for awhile, I’ll be able to make a real meal of my harvest, and have enough to share.
Until next time,
Elizabeth
