How Does Your Garden Grow?

"A garden is the most direct way to recapture the issue of health and to make it a private instead of a governmental responsibility." --Wendell Berry, "The Reactor and the Garden," The Gift of Good Land: Further Essays Cultural and Agricultural.

January is not a typical time of year for gardening. Not in Boston, certainly. Not in the sense that we typically think of: digging our fingers under the soil to plant, to weed, or to harvest. This time of year, we are buried in snow and the ground is frozen hard. But, this does not mean that the January gardner sits entirely idle. On the contrary, the deep winter season offers time for contemplation. What will be planted in the growing season to come? What lessons can be learned from the last? Even I, with only my tiny herb planter to ponder, find myself considering what new varieties I might try out next year, what more I would plant if I had the luxury of a yard to do it in.

January also brings in a new year, prompting many of us to reflect on how we'd like to make our lives better over the next twelve months, how to grow ourselves as individuals and work together to solve larger social problems. After a few long weeks of holiday overindulgences--thankfully tempered by the start of a new farm share--I find myself thinking a great deal about food and the myriad ways that our choices in that realm stand to effect not only our personal health, but that of the planet as a whole. Following Thursday's New York Times article about the ubiquitous presence of ammonia processed beef in this country's hamburger, and a recent re-viewing of the incredible documentary, Food Inc. (if you haven't seen it yet, you really must) Berry's words about recapturing the responsibility for our health hold particular resonance. The government agencies responsible for fostering and protecting our food system cannot currently be relied upon to do so given the revolving door between corporate agriculture and positions of power at the USDA and FDA. And, while this system needs to be held accountable and fighting to change it is an essential endeavor, it can feel like chipping away at an iceberg.

A garden, on the other hand, provides much speedier results, and a much more satisfying path to getting there. The means are as satisfying as the end, and the gardener has ownership in the entire process. Yes, there are the perils of pests and weather to contend with in order to achieve success, but these are much more pleasant adversaries to consider than profit-hungry CEOs whose power seems to have no end. As stated at the end of Food Inc., planting a garden, even a small one, is the most direct way to regain control of your food supply, and thereby your health, in a system that has gone so terribly awry. It is also far more delicious than letter writing.

So, for those of you inclined to spend these snowy days indoors, pondering your plantings for the first or the fortieth time, I offer a few reading suggestions to help you percolate on the possibilities until the spring thaw.

First, there's Karel Capek's The Gardener's Year, part of the Modern Library Gardening Series, edited by none other than Michael Pollan. Originally written in Czech in 1929, Capek's observations are whimsical and insightful, reminding us of the wonders of growing while poking light fun at the quirks and obsessions of the average gardener. The book's pages are also adorned by a charming collection line drawings created by Capek's brother. As Pollan writes in his series introduction, "there's plenty of how-to here, but the emphasis is more along the lines of how-to-think-about-it than how-to-do-it." Just right for the time of year when you're better off under a blanket than out in a field. The series has become home to many other forgotten books, including enticing titles such as In the Land of the Blue Poppies, Old Herbaceous, and The Gardener's Bed-Book: Short and Long Pieces to Be Read in Bed By Those Who Love Green Growing Things. You can peruse and purchase any of them here.

For a more contemporary but still varied list of gardening-related books, click here to see the year's 10 best gardening books, according to the Boston.com Gardening blog.

To see you through until you get your hands on one of these, or until you can get your hands good and dirty, here are a few encouraging winter words by Capek, from a chapter entitled "The Gardener's February":

"But do you know what? The snowdrops are in flower; and hamamelis with yellow stars is in flower, and hellebore has fat buds; and when you look properly (but you must hold your breath) you will find buds and sprouts on almost everything; with a thousand tiny pulses life rises from the soil. Now we gardeners will stick to it; already we are rushing into sap."

A Holiday Bounty

This year, like many people, my husband and I decided to scale back our gift-giving budget in accordance with tough economic times. As a result we had to get a little creative, and said husband put together a brilliant gift that I will be able to enjoy for many years to come.

First, a mortar and pestle, something I've desperately wanted since savoring the sauces my roommates would whip up with one in Spain. Second, an incredible array of spices and flavorings from Christina's Spice & Specialty Foods in Inman Square, including everything from dill seed, to star anise, to sumac. (What is sumac? Neither of us have any idea, which is part of the fun!) The final piece of this gift puzzle is perhaps the most brilliant of all: The Flavor Bible. The book, which bills itself as "The Essential Guide to Culinary Creativity, Based on the Wisdom of America's Most Imaginative Chefs," is an incredible kitchen reference, perfect for those who love to cook (and eat) but don't have the patience for long, elaborate recipes and perfect measurements (that would be me). Essentially, its a giant index where you can look up whatever ingredient you have on hand, from cheeses, to vegetables, to salts. Under each entry, you can learn a little bit about your ingredient, as well as peruse an extensive list of complimentary ingredients, compiled according to chefs' recommendations. So, next time I'm looking to try something new with my winter parsnips or a precious celeriac (or my new spice collection!) I have a wealth of improvisational possibilities right there at my fingertips, drawing from a deep well of culinary experience.

I have yet to sit down and absorb the full wonder of this book--I had to run off to New Jersey just hours after receiving it--but I cannot wait to peruse it when I get back home. The second introductory chapter, in particular, holds great promise: "Great cooking = Maximizing Flavor + Pleasure by Tapping Body + Heart + Mind + Spirit: Communicating via the Language of Food." This, after all, is what truly great cooking is all about. It is also a wonderful reminder of the greatest treasure of the holidays: gathering around the table with friends and family to share a meal that's been cooked together.

Wishing you all a wonderful holiday season, and a happy and lucky New Year!

Let's Do Lunch

I grew up eating homemade lunches at school.  My (very) small Montessori school had no cafeteria, and so I didn't confront the perils of the lunchroom until I was in 8th grade, by which time I'd had enough life experience with real food to know that the items on offer--from pasty "chicken" nuggets to reconstituted potatoes--were food-ish, at best.  I avoided school cafeteria food until I finished high school, opting for peanuts out of the vending machine on days when I forgot my lunch at home.  

I don't think much about school lunch these days, being many years done with high school and without any children of my own.  Recently, however, this subject has moved to the front of my mind, as the impending renewal of the Child Nutrition Act has begun to shine a spotlight on a culinary experience that is of huge national importance, albeit one that most of us would sooner forget.  The act, which will be renewed in September, governs the National School Lunch Program, which sets the guidelines for the meals that over 30 million children in our country receive each day.  While the 2004 reauthorization of the act took some worthwhile steps in requiring all school districts to adopt wellness policies, we are still a long way from serving fresh, healthy food in our public schools.  However, as evidenced by the many grass roots campaigns currently underway (links below), 2009 presents an opportunity for all of us to get involved toward making some strides in that direction. 

In a new book, David Kessler, the former head of the FDA who took on big tobacco, argues that we are effectively conditioning our children into a lifelong desire for unhealthy food by feeding them such salty, fatty, and sugary processed meals at this phase in their development.  In the book, The End of Overeating:  Taking Control of the Insatiable American Appetite, he makes a host of interesting arguments around the connections between the powerful food industry, the salt-fat-sugar trio, and the resulting brain chemistry that makes it so hard for so many of us to make smart food choices.  Although some may label him a conspiracy theorist, it stands to reason that the way young, developing brains learn to interact with food is as experience-dependent as any other domain.  I offer my own experience as testament to that fact; by the time I was presented with "salisbury steak" and gloopy "gravy," I'd learned too much about real food to be tempted; it just didn't look, smell, or taste like anything I'd ever seen on a plate.  But, as Kessler argues, many children who aren't so lucky find such high impact processed food far more appealing than a plain old apple, even irresistible.  

Good nutrition, in addition to the obvious health benefits, has been shown to help children perform better in school, which translates to a serious impact on their future, and ours.  Even if your children are grown or you don't intend to have children (or you do have children but can afford to avoid public school lunches altogether), all of us stand to gain from raising generations of healthy individuals who can achieve their full potential.  And, even if you are not moved by the individual stories of obese young children with type II diabetes, the economic and social costs of not changing our ways are to steep to ignore.  Only a few months remain to make an impact in this very important part of our food system--please visit the sites listed below for more information on how you can join the many voices speaking out for change.

*Click here to sign the Food, Inc. petition to serve school lunches that include "low fat and safe dairy, fresh fruits and vegetables, and whole grains."  (Over 50,000 signatures were delivered to Congress on June 24th, but it's not too late to sign!)

*The Healthy Schools Campaign is also organizing to move the act in a healthier direction, providing information and help in contacting your local legislator on their website.  

*Slow Food USA has a great campaign and platform, and you can find more information here.

*To hear Kessler speak about his arguments and the ideas behind them on a recent episode of On Point, click here.