La Buena Vida Garden!

As I hurl myself fast-forward into the holidays, I have a grateful heart. Our organic garden, growing our own food, and sharing it with others creates a La Buena Vida spirit deep within. That we can nourish ourselves and share with others in a simple, quiet way is something that I cherish. I'd like to share the spirit of going green in the high desert of Northern New Mexico.

What's that old John Lennon quote about "Life is what happens when you are busy making other plans?" We never expected for Kermie to become part of the picture with going green. However, that's the beauty of serendipity. Found on the highway, probably flung out the window during a rabid sibling fight in the backseat, we stopped the car and gathered him up. Can't just leave Kermie lying on the side of the road! He became Guardian of the Gate bearing rainbows.

Volunteer sunflowers grew like sentinels next to the coyote gate. We couldn't even plan that if we had tried!

Mojito Garden.We need a barrel of rum and a crate of limes!

Herb garden with basil, lemon thyme, sage, Mexican oregano, cilantro, parsley and more. We grew sesame seed plants the year before and that was fabulous!

Fava beans from the Dixon Seed Exchange in Dixon, New Mexico. What a fantastic community event to share seeds and sage advice. On our calendar to go next year.

Shallots, purple onions, Shiraz beets with Black Spanish Radishes. The black radish is sliced, sprinkled with sea salt, and served with a great micro brew beer in pubs throughout Europe.

Eggplants. Thought we lost them in the relentless Santa Fe spring winds--they turned crispy brown. I pruned harshly while begging them to hang on just a little bit longer. You have to have guts to grow next to a cholla! Mild and creamy texture grilled or roasted with olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

Calypso beans, three kinds of eggplants, and Chimayo chiles planted from seed.

 Lush black and white calypso beans.

Chimayo chiles are in between all the eggplants.
Good luck reaching the sun.

  The cabbage patch.

ONE solitary cabbage sprout.
I'm Russian.
I feel like an utter failure!

Gorgeous artichokes that bloomed. The honey bees LOVED them!

 Rain forest of tomatoes.

 Redbor kale is delicious in winter soups.

 Far back corner, the corn field that never happened. We'll make it happen next year!

Hay Belly Nation

I wonder why our garden gate fills such a need in my soul. I revel in the simplicity of the gate opening wide; sun, soil, water, and seed that know exactly what to do. I impatiently tend, waiting for seedlings to push to light.

 Notice the cholla cacti brooding nearby like desert sentinels? I shy my eyes away. Uhm...am I delusional? Whose idea was this anyway? A cactus is growing five feet away. Am I insane to try and grow vegetables in the high desert? Bitter cold nights? Relentless wind? Sun splintering the earth into deep crevices during the day?

 What sparked the decision to grow our own food? On a road trip discussing a magazine article, we were talking about "empty food" and learning to reset the table in the land of plenty. Soil depletion, reversing the nutritional decline of fruits and vegetables that accompany the widespread use of agricultural chemicals, additives, and produce varieties selected primary for yield--not quality--all led to the decision to plant a garden for  our health.

I read, "Even our ever expanding bellies may be due in part to nutrient declines in our foods. Paul Hepperly, director of research at the Rodale Institute, thinks we may be responding like cattle do."

"Cattle will eat more of hay that's been rained on and had most of the nutrients leach out than they normally would," he says. The animals get these big bellies, and they're unhealthy, but they're just trying to get their nutrients. Ranchers know that if they have animals with hay belly, they have poor quality food. What we've done with  the erosion of nutrient content in our foods--what we've done with additives, processing, and artificial agricultural production methods--is that we have basically produced a hay belly nation."

I started to look at people's bellies in a different light. Hay bellies everywhere; all shapes, sizes, and ages--even children. I glanced down at the muffin top spilling over the top of my jeans. I need to change my life now. We went up to the community seed exchange in Dixon, NM hosted by Seed Savers Exchange. For a small donation, the community hall was packed with gardeners donating seeds, standing room only, filling our small sacks with seeds of Shiraz beets, Anasazi beans, purple Fava beans, Kuri squash, butternuts for fall and Hokkaido Blue Squash. A community grassroots movement thrives as gardeners help people learn to grow their own healthy food.

 

The garden gate. My love of gardens as a child. Childhood memories of the Selfish Giant by Oscar Wilde and the Secret Garden. This is my grandmother in her garden. She planted by the moon and gardened from the heart. As a child I remember dahlias as big as dinner plates, caught under the eaves of the house as they lumbered towards the sky. Fragrant herbs for pickling and preserving mixed with rows of cabbage. Lily pollen stained her cheeks as she breathed in the heady fragrance.

Life is moving full circle now. I'll post photos as the garden grows and share photos of our "Mojito Garden" for those hot New Mexican nights.

Hay Belly Nation--time for me to wake up.

I Dreamed A Dream...

My face contorts and winces tears every time I listen to Susan Boyle's astonishing audition on Britain's Got Talent. She said her dream was to become a professional singer. Simon asked, "Why hasn't it worked out?" She replied, "I've never been given a chance before." 

With her chance in hand, she defied the expectations in spite of startling odds. Susan's fearlessness pricked the unspoken places in many. Fearlessness to dream about something more than the lot life had handed to you. If she can dare to dream, so can I. Like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz clicking my heels three times...I always had the power. How do I feel? Bloody fantastic.