Hunter- Gatherer- Gardener

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Hunter- Gatherer- Gardener

1.7.09

Soup’s on! A large cauldron of vegetable soup is bubbling away on my stove, ready to eat.

Into the soup went homegrown tomatoes, onion, green beans, potatoes as well as deer meat. Also included were store bought garlic, carrot, celery, and a beef base. Great satisfaction comes from eating food raised in the garden or hunted in the field.

In a book suggested to me by a reader of this column, “A Weed by Any Other Name” Nancy Gift writes, “We can grow food and be farmers, epicures, or simply frugal people. Whether we pick the edible weeds or sow the heirloom vegetables, the shameless production of vegetables at home ennobles us.”

I am somewhere between frugal and epicure. No one will mistake me for a farmer. I tolerate far too many weeds. But it is true; I am ennobled by my efforts.

Garden catalogs have been arriving since December 23 at the Brady residence. From the practical Burpees to the exotic Heronswood Nursery, I savor each catalog, reading them in phases, not wanting to absorb too much at one sitting and ruin the entire winter. This is not the time to be outside digging in the dirt, but I can day dream until the thaw arrives.

Garden catalogs are picture books for gardeners. Of course my plants never produce the flawless veggies that are pictured, but I do not aspire to such lofty heights. I only desire to produce a harvest that can be enjoyed fresh from the garden or preserved for later use.

Do not put me on the garden tour. Bugs eat some of what I grow. By late summer I have to swim through the weeds to locate the squash, but a harvest is produced in spite of my shortfalls as a gardener.

Although the catalogs sustain my gardening dreams through the winter, I actually get my seeds and plants locally in the spring. Emily, a friend with an exceptional green thumb provides some specialty vegetables and divides and shares her herbs. Local stores are my main source for starter plants. I am able to keep a sweet potato vine in the window sill that provides plants as well.

Another source of plants are the volunteers. I do not have the heart to kill these self starters and therefore have sunflower volunteers in the middle of the tomato row and volunteer butternut squash in the green beans.

I fear that I will see the end of glossy printed catalogs in my life time and I will miss this winter ritual. I like the feel of dirt on my hands when gardening much as I like the tactile experience of leafing through garden catalogs while enjoying last year’s harvest of vegetables in a steaming bowl of soup.

The Heritage Trails Park District begins the New Year gathering information that will help to shape the Park District in the future.

We want to discover what you, resident of Auglaize County, would like to see preserved as park land. This most important step in planning will ensure that parks fit those who will use them. Keep reading this column to find out how you can participate in this planning process.

In the mean time, take advantage of a great snow fall. Get the cross country skis and sleds out of storage and enjoy some fun and fitness in the snow.

Allison Brady, Executive Director
Heritage Trails Park District
Your partner for parks in Auglaize County