Vegetables Grow in the Ground?

Today I made the mistake of looking at the other plots in the garden. I could not help but be curious and then jealous of the deep red roots beginning to show their heads above the soil or the big bushy plants almost ready to be picked and eaten. Although I have no idea what any of the plants or vegetables are that our neighbors are growing, I do know that I wish they were mine! After my jealousy subsided, I realized that this was the first time that I had seen vegetables, or anything that can be found on my plate, growing in the ground.

I love the outdoors, hiking, eating organically, and attempting to live life minimally, and I have never seen a vegetable growing in the ground? This is so sad! I was in awe of the plants, looking at them as if I were seeing a phenomenon as glorious as a pink and orange sunset for the first time. In our modern world, our food is so manufactured that most people never get to see a garden. I realized today what a shame this is. When I eat a meal, I am so disconnected from the origins of what I am eating. The questions I should be asking myself when I eat a meal are ones like, where was this food grown? What ingredients are in it? What artificial flavors are used? Who labored in order for this food to arrive on my plate? Instead, I consume mindlessly. Before the industrial revolution, all food was taken directly from the earth. This is the food that is natural for humans to eat. This is the way we should be living. Looking at the vegetables in our neighbor’s garden, I realized that the earth does naturally provide us with what we need to survive. The vegetables just looked so hearty and beautiful. Going home, I was disgusted by all of my processed foods. Right now, they are not appealing. I want to know where the meal on my plate is coming from, and I want to eat directly from the land. As I admired the vegetables today, that is just what seemed to make sense. I know this is not realistic in our current world, but I do want to strive to eat more locally and organically in every way that I can.

This experience is really changing my everyday life and grounding me in the immediate world around me. It has forever changed the way that I think about my consumer decisions, and I wish that everyone could have this experience. I cannot wait to eat our vegetables this summer and see how different they taste from the preserved ones I buy in the supermarket. Until then, I guess I am stuck marveling at our neighbor’s red roots and frequenting the local farmer’s market.


Here are some pictures of our neighbor's garden: