SARAHVZMUSIC

The wonders of growing your own food

Firstly, I’d like to thank all those who took the time to read last Friday’s post.
I recently came across a quote that captures the essence of Small Wonders: 

“It is by studying little things, that we attain the great art of having as little misery and as much happiness as possible.”

Samuel Johnson

This was a great confirmation that there is merit in writing about the little things. So, on to this week’s wonderful topic.

Growing your own food is filled with wonders, small and large. This age-old practice is being embraced more and more these days, particularly as the cost of food is increasing.

Together my mom and I took our gardening ambitions up several notches this summer. In just over a year, we have transformed previously unused sections into abundant vegetable gardens. We are currently growing pumpkins, gem squash, butternuts, cucumbers, tomatoes, zucchini, watermelons, beans, capsicums, garlic, chillies, potatoes, kumara, leafy greens, lettuces, strawberries, herbs and more.

Establishing an abundant garden is no small task, with the materials and preparation involved. But with research and hard work, one can yield great rewards. We had no grand plan, we developed it section by section, like a great patchwork piece. This unused section (left) is now a productive vegetable patch (right):

The many benefits of gardening:

I have found several benefits of gardening to improve our well being:

• The challenge of gardening gives a sense of accomplishment, and the daily care encourages self-discipline.
• The physicality takes you out of your mind and into your body.
• Gardening allows time for thoughtful moments of reflection and rumination.
• Small victories are morale boosters: A new flower blooms, a miniature vegetable appears, a vine hooks to a new trellis rung.
• You learn to surrender to nature and that which is out of your control (weather, climate, luck)
• New appreciation: Everyday items (brown paper, dried leaves, grass clippings, egg cartons) are now precious compostable items!
• Gardening allows you to be creative and resourceful. You can source materials freely/cheaply and build things yourself. (See pic below)
• Birds and insects – being in their presence connects us to nature and the ecosystems around us. (See pics below)

My dad transformed this free pallet into a planter for our herbs.

A pollen-covered bee enjoying the squash blossoms.

Highlights from the summer garden:

It is January and mid-summer in New Zealand, a good time to share some highlights:

1. I love the purple flowers on our Rocoto Manzano chilli plant, as usually chilli flowers are white:

2. Zucchini Rampicante: A vining-type, highly prolific, with comically large and oddly-shaped fruit. Absolutely delicious and similar to regular zucchini in flavour, they hold their shape and texture longer when cooking. Our last was 100cm long, and the next one is currently 120cm in length: 

3. Our first tiny watermelon that appeared this week:

5. Our tomato jungle (despite multiple pruning attempts):

These crops can be costly in New Zealand, but grown at home, they grow quickly, take up minimal space, and you can harvest as you go. With a few plants and successive plantings, I have not bought bagged lettuce or greens for well over a year.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this look at our summer garden. Another week, I will write about growing flowers, a topic deserving of its own post.

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A MOMENT IN 5 SENSES
Inspired by Gretchen Rubin’s book “Life In Five Senses,” here I share a moment this week, and what I experienced with all five senses.

A morning spent writing at a cafe 

SIGHT: Warm, atmospheric lighting, bright laptop screen
SOUND: Gentle background music, hums and hisses of coffee machines, muffled conversations, scraping chairs
SMELL: Coffee, chocolate
TOUCH: Hard plastic keys, slightly shaky table
TASTE: Smooth, warm, rich, hot chocolate with soy milk

Tip: Try to stop for one moment this week and notice/record all that you experienced through your senses. 

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READ(S) OF THE WEEK
Here I share a book/audiobook or two that I am currently reading:

BOOK: “Better Than Before” by Gretchen Rubin (almost done!)
BOOK: “The Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy” by Douglas Adams (reread)

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IMAGE OF THE WEEK

On theme: A ripe, juicy peach from our dwarf peach tree

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UPDATES / NEWS

• I’ll be performing music at Howick Village Market on Saturday 3rd February.

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Wishing you a wonderful week,
Sarah