Comments on: How to Make Home Grown Food Simpler and Easier

By: Farm Update: In the Garden | ARealGreenLife

Farm Update: In the Garden | ARealGreenLife

[…] seedling coming up in the midst of a little patch of celery stem taro (which I also mentioned in this post). Behind it on the trellis you can see climbing beans and […]

By: Kate

Kate

In reply to Chelsey Reis. I love those defining moments, Chelsey. Like a nudge from the Universe, or God, or Gaia, Nature or whatever higher guidance you believe in, those moments say "You can do this. You're on the right path." They affirm to you that you're on a path to normalizing for you what previously felt like a pipe dream. I love parsley and the other herbs you mentioned too, for all the same reasons (although parsley doesn't survive our wet season long enough to self seed and rosemary is impossible without a very specific niche spot out of the rain). The value of nutritious herbs and greens that grow easily in your climate and can be added to any meal is impossible to overstate!

By: Chelsey Reis

Chelsey Reis

Hi Kate
At the moment, our main every day green is Parsley – which is great as we all enjoy eating it and I love the fact that I can add it to almost anything raw or cooked that is on the menu. We also had spring onion, garlic chives and rosemary on tap pre-sizing down to relocate, and again these were easy to find a place for in many daily meals. The thing I love most about Parsley is that it is almost always available and self-sows so it minimal maintenance (Pat collects the seeds too)! We recently had a meal where 3 of the veggies came from our garden and it was a defining moment for me, giving me confidence that we will continue to increase our food production in small increments!

By: Kate

Kate

In reply to Brett Townsend. Abundant greens for everyone :) Thanks for commenting, Brett!

By: Brett Townsend

Brett Townsend

Hi Kate, thanks for your post. I’ve got to move house soon so I don’t have anything growing here. I did have a few pumpkin vines that went wild and I was able to harvest at least a dozen which was awesome. I had originally put all of my veggie scraps including pumpkin seeds from store bought pumpkins into my compost bin. Rats got in, dug them out and hey presto 🙂 I’m friends with a farmer nearby, I may be moving there. He’s been happy for me to experiment with cover crops on a small patch, about 30m2. In winter last year I put in about 12 different species of seeds, also greenharvest’s Clucker tucker mix of greens. Some of the seeds germinated, many didn’t go well. But the greens have gone ballistic, so I take some home for dinner most times. I’ve got so much that I will give some to the pigs and sheep on the property, and the neighbours chooks. Happy days 🙂

By: Kate

Kate

In reply to Alina. Hi Alina, I completely agree with you. Thank you for commenting, and thanks for the post topic suggestion.

By: Alina

Alina

You forgot that being outside helps reset our circadian rhythm, modulates our moods, and contributes to better eyesight and overall health (we’re learning all the time about more and more benefits from natural (vs. artificial) light.)

I get most of my greens from my garden and love it! One surprising benefit is the sense of accomplishment I get…even if it’s only one or two leaves from multiple, tiny plants. I think many people lose a sense of accomplishment these days, since much work is no longer things we do and make with our hands, or that we have to “work” for.

I have a suggestion for a future post(s): links and blurbs about your favorite gardening books, videos, people to follow…for gardening as well as regenerative farming, homesteading, health in general.

Glad to connect with someone who can grow similar things as we can here.

The longevity spinach is sort of like a green version of Okinawan spinach, but it seems easier to grow here, not as fussy, so it becomes (along with katuk…you call it sweetleaf…) my greens/salad summer staples…also with moringa!

By: Kate

Kate

In reply to Melita. Thanks for commenting, Melita. I think if all you added to your breakfast from your garden was a sprig of parsley, the magic would still be there. The point is to get ourselves onto a trajectory of getting out into the garden and eating from it more and more consistently over time, not to change the entire world by lunchtime xxx

By: Melita

Melita

Thank you for the article, Kate. I appreciate the reminder that making big changes really can be as simple as altering one meal at a time. I have spurts of serving sautéed greens with a friend egg on top for breakfast but really should try to make it a more consistent habit.

I find that my kids are more accepting of eating ‘Mum’s random collection of green stuff’ if I sauté some mushrooms in loads of butter, pepper and salt first before adding the greens at the end. Maybe it’s because we all love mushrooms, maybe it’s because the mushrooms feel ‘meatier’ than just the greens, I’m not sure. Maybe it’s even the butter? For us mushrooms come from the supermarket, or sometimes the local market when we can, so it’s not a meal served purely from the garden. The habit of harvesting the greens and tending the garden whilst breathing in nature, are still there though.

Than you also for the proverb, “The best fertilizer is the gardener’s shadow.” Such a valuable though to keep at the forefront of my mind. I love it!!