Harvesting Your Food Can Guide You Into Sustainability And Beyond
What My First Garden Taught Me About Nature And Life
If you were born some 50 years ago, you would have been used to harvest colourless and fresh vegetables and fruits on your own, in your garden. Also, you would have had some carefree creatures in the courtyard. Some for company, and some not. Myriad of colours, curious sounds, and unexpected fragrances would have been part of your life — my dad likes to remind the smell and taste of white, freshly drawn milk he had as a child.
Nowadays, unfortunately, our everyday tones range on the greyscale. The sounds are those of the industry.
Working the land, and relate with nature, is far less common practice. People are accustomed to finding everything they need at supermarkets. “We have no time!” they say. “I’m not a farmer!” they say. “I don’t have enough space!” they say.
Leave these beliefs!
The only things you need are a good dose of patience, and a mix of humbleness and a willingness to learn. — consider also that you don’t necessarily need a garden, I have grown most of my plants in boxes and extravagant containers, like coffee cans.
This year I had my first garden. I learned the unexpected.
Patience, patience, patience. A tiny, brown seed takes time to blossom into the wonderful leafy being that you will cherish for months. In the same way, you will have to look at unripe fruits for several days before picking and savouring one.
Growing a plant is a slow process. You are forced to learn the rhythm of nature. There is no hurry. Plants take all the time they need to grow as strong as possible, not one day more, or less. I think this makes you appreciate the process. Eventually, the result is a small portion of a bigger picture. The fun is in the middle.
I am a sustainable economist, and I believe that valuing and refining the development process is key for a better future. We are too concerned with material results. This sometimes takes us on the wrong path. Observe, wait, make the time inspiring you to build something better. Today, it might be your garden, tomorrow your community and the society.
At some point you will be overwhelmed by fruits — cucumbers, for example, I suspect they are trying to conquer the world with their propagation.
Do you know what you can do? Sharing. I assure you that you will look forward to sharing the fruits of your labour with others. Not for prestige, fame, or boldness. Not even for money. You will share because you will want to connect with others. You will be thrilled by making them aware of the fascinating process of harvesting your food — as I’m doing.
Everything has an end. This is sad. This is obvious. Unless you have planted some robust tree, your plants are probably going to perish (did you know that the oldest tree in the World has more than 5000 years?).
I am a person who loves to have everything under control. Someone would say I am a perfectionist. Well, while growing your garden you must deal with snags — and snails. You cannot control everything and every cycle cannot but close at some point.
What you can do, and what you can learn, is making things as resilient as possible. Taking care of what is important for you as much as you can. With the time you have. An economist would say keep the lifecycle alive.
What is of no value for you, is a resource for others. What a perfect example of a circular economy. It is extraordinary that everything, and I say everything, finds its utility in nature. Nature has no waste.
The scratch of your cabbage? Snails will love them. Eggshells in your kitchen? A perfect additive for restoring calcium into the soil. And what about nettles? Their itching action makes us hate them. But infuse them in water and you’ll have a perfect fungicide (this method is crucial in biodynamic cultures, as it is the use of camomille and other plants).
By working in your garden, you will learn to extend the utility of things. I guarantee that you will soon look for solutions to reduce waste and exploiting everything your system gives to you — in a sustainable way. You will appreciate everything in your garden. You will be surprised by how your mind can find alternative uses of the matters surrounding you.
If you have a dog, you will also learn that they love to taste and bite your precious fruits. Maybe, it is their way to give you their approval. Or maybe, their disapproval.
Which of the two moved my brownie crazy four-legged friend to eat my eggplants and peppers is still a mystery. But I believe she appreciated my effort to connect with his natural world.
If you care for a sustainable future, or if you just desire to reconnect your soul with the planet, you should consider harvesting food on your own.
🌱 Thank you for reading this article! Please, feel free to leave a comment, good or bad. Sharing and debate are the starting point for inspiration and change.
