Gardens mirror our culture: what we grow reflects our worldviews, our memories, and our hopes.
One plant reminds us of our beloved grandmother, another reflects our current fascinations. Then there are the weeds, which for other people might be edible, and usually plenty of volunteers that comes out from past seasons plantings. A garden is a reflection of its keeper, but it also tells us about the conditions of the soil, the effects of urbanization on what used to be farmland and deep woods not long before that. In a garden, we can look for ecosystems, we can find quotes from gardens past, we cohabit with critters small and large (don’t even get me started about deer in Michigan!), and possibly we grow food. In my garden, frequently enough, food grows itself…
In this picture, clockwise from the center: Borage (a favorite of my grandmother), Radish leaves and flowers; Spearmint; Celery; Chard; Dandelion; Plantago; Purslane; Acetosa; Red Russian Kale. They all came out of the garden late in June this past year while I was cleaning a bed to make space for new plantings. Out of that bunch, the only thing that came out of a packet of seeds were the Radishes… With the help of some bacon, onions, and potatoes they all became a soup.
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