Pattern Language - Being mindful of 'the place to be'
Cultivating homegrown food + RECIPE
The fact is, you are so far formed by your surroundings, that your state of harmony depends entirely on your harmony with your surroundings. – Christopher Alexander from A Pattern Language
September 8, 2024
Participation is a transformative act
Life tends to shift when you decide to plant and care for a garden. For me the craft has dramatically shaped my worldview and values, let alone deepened my skill set to grow food, flowers, save seed, and preserve botanicals for a home pharmacy. It’s a powerful feeling to know the capacity to which I can take care of myself, and in turn others.
One of the most obvious lifestyle shifts is that there’s more to take care of or water. If you plant fruits and vegetables as well as perennials, trees, and shrubs, eventually there will be a heck of a lot to harvest, eat, share or preserve. You will be slowly altering the landscape in which you live. And as a result, your surroundings begin to grow, produce, and evolve in tandem with your mindset as it falls in love with the natural world.
This transformation can happen on any scale. Be it a courtyard or patio or half an acre, the garden is a sanctuary of time and resources. In it there’s space to witness the intricate, interconnected, and mind boggling force we call life unfold. In this processional act I’ve discovered a well of gratitude for how food makes its way to the table.
Then there’s the not so obvious – the kind of lifestyle that’s revealed when you commune with plants and the elements of the natural world. There are no words for the frequencies by which it hums or the memories it emits. It’s a language I will be learning for the rest of my life. All I can say is that the experience is quite personal. And therefore requires one’s involvement in some form or another.
The land is in fact what I’m caring for. Then comes everything else that is dependent upon it. The plants, flowers, shrubs, trees, etc. This layered and complex landscape attracts an increasingly diverse array of microorganisms, bees, birds, snakes, lizards, bats, moths, rodents, and insects. (I include myself in the latter. For we too are a species drawn to a garden’s energy and life force). I consider it the art and practice of devotion and care. Rigor and resilience. Tranquility and abundance.
These two seemingly separate realities, the subtle and obvious, are like the warp and weft of a tightly woven cloth. A tidal estuary where the personal intention or willingness, that which radiates from the inside out and the landscape, that which is outside and seeps into our very beingness collide. It’s this two-way relationship or conversation that I find terribly interesting and what feeds my curiosity, satisfaction, and steadfast care.
As the years pass, the conversation has only become more intimate. More in tune. My surroundings have taken on a whole new dimension and meaning. It’s magical, beautiful, productive, healing, and in a state of constant growth, decay, and change. My surroundings compose the nature of my life. And because it has such a notable effect on my choices and lifestyle, I’m thoughtful of what fills it.
Radical and Revolutionary - digging in the dirt
Some may read this and think, gardening, it’s too hard or it’s too much work. I don’t need one more thing. There’s not enough time or I don’t have the space. I understand. Growing a garden is a very personal decision. However I do think it would change the face of the planet, the health of the community, and the head and heart of the individual to recall the wild that’s within.
Change, but start slowly. Because direction is more important than speed. – Paulo Coelho
Even face to face with the sheer reality of the garden’s abundance, I still find it so rewarding, empowering, and best of all delicious to cook and consume what I grow. Here’s a glance into what I grow and what I do with it.
The herbs
Basil becomes pesto either eaten fresh or frozen so that I can enjoy it in the winter. For some reason I dig pesto in the autumn versus in the heat of the summer. Maybe that’s because basil is pungent, warming, and supports circulation and having it in the cooler weather balances how I feel physically.
Cilantro becomes chutney. I love to blend it with lime, fresh ginger root, jalapeño and dates. Once I’ve harvested ample leaves, I’ll let it flower, set seed, and completely dry out. I’m then able to collect the seed itself (coriander) and grind it for my spice cabinet or leave it whole for tea. The same goes for dill and mint. All of which I eat fresh or harvest and dry for herbal teas and spice blends.
The flowers
Having a mix of flowers provides a sea of beauty. Being amongst the flowers resonates somewhere deep deep down in the bones of what it means for me to be feminine, to know mystery, and carry water and life. It’s to know the intelligence of plants, sharing the wisdom and medicine they hold with others.
The flowers also provide impromptu cutting sessions in the early morning or evening. It’s my kind of meditation. Quiet, curious, grounding, sensual. Having the space also serves as a kind of playground for social connection. It’s pretty sweet having time with my girlfriends picking and creating bouquets for no other reason other than it’s fun and gorgeous.
The vegetables
Zucchini and cucumbers are sauteed and pureed into soups. Scallions are cleaned and minced for grilled fish or meat or tortilla de papa or eggs. The tomatillos become the most unreal salsa verde. A staple which is made every autumn and one I definitely make a lot of for friends and freezer.
There comes a time in the season where the kale, chard, or other greens explode. Rather than buying a couple bunches from the store I’ve probably got 5 bunches which were ready to harvest yesterday. I’ll prepare large batches at a time that can be used in D’s Greens, soups, or like I mentioned above stocking the freezer for winter.
Carrots, juice with ginger and apples. Green beans and peas, well, simply eat ‘em up while picking. They’re some of my favorites!!
Recipe: CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE PDF OF D’S GREENS
It’s a great way to enjoy all your greens: kale, collards, chard. Side note – these made a delicious side to a savory dinner of smoked pulled pork dish, roasted tomatoes, and mashed potatoes (yup, home grown lacinato kale and yukon gold potatoes!)
Yours, Erin