Mary Mary

"It seemed like a good idea at the time..."

I'd blame Michelle Obama, if I wasn't afraid she could beat me in arm wrestling (those biceps!). The kitchen garden got all trendy this year. Now, I'm not one to follow trends so much, but one that makes this much sense is hard to resist. Cheap food of the highest quality with a minimal carbon footprint. Sign me up!

So it just happened that I moved into this great house in Hampton Bays with a ginormous sunny backyard, and my neighbors just happen to have a roto-tiller. Why not?

Why not? I'll tell ya why not. Bugs, sunburn, pulled muscles, incessant weeding of remarkably tenacious and prolific crabgrass, and unexpected expenses, for starters. Trust me, I could go on. It's been backbreaking and heartbreaking - hours of labor and days of soreness, watching tender young plants I put into the ground suffer under attacking bugs or imperfect weather conditions. Summer thunderstorms are no longer cause to sit on the front porch with wine, enjoying the view - now I have to wonder if my beanpoles and tomato cages are being blown over yet again.

But.... but. In late May, I had a patch of dirt and packets of seeds. We started seeds and planted more in the garden, weeded, staked, fed, and watered. And today, I have food. Real I-went-out-back-and-cut-stuff-and-made-dinner-out-of-it food. Seriously.

I've harvested at least a dozen summer squash so far, along with spring mix lettuce, swiss chard, and four of the prettiest chile peppers you ever saw. I'm watching eggplant, pole beans, brussels sprouts, three kinds of tomatoes, onions, and even corn grow taller by the day. I fed houseguests and my roommate with very truly homemade squash au gratin and veggie lasagne. I show up for dinner parties not with my usual bottle of wine but with mesculin mix that was cut from the ground not an hour ago. It's beyond the power of words to describe.

I can't help but think how much better off we'd be if more people could say this. I made this. I grew this. I could go on for hours about the connection with the land, with the sun and rain and dirt and the circle of life and all that, but it'll sound unbearably hokey. All I can say is... I grew my own food, and it's amazing.