About the growing things.

Since early May I've been trying to grow things. I've never been successful before, and it's not for lack of trying, I'll tell you that. This is my little herb garden on our back deck, with (from the left) oregano, thyme, sage, parsley, basil, dill and lavender. Yesterday was the first time I've ever eaten anything that I've grown, and it was kind of special. I picked a few leaves off my sage plant and chiffonaded them into the Portabello Pot Pie, our delicious dinner last night. The recipe, if you're interested, is from La Dolce Vegan by Sarah Kramer. I'm not vegan, but it's my favourite way to cook - it ensures that we get loads of vegetables, it's low in fat most of the time and it's often much less expensive than buying meats. Eating vegan dishes also pushes me to really make an effort to use spices and try new things which is tons of fun! One day, (as per my 101 in 1001 list) I'll choose some new recipes and go vegan for a month, documenting the adventure as I go. There are loads of compelling reasons why..

It feels good to take care of something alive and growing, and I've learned it's really not that hard! There's a crazily overgrown plot of land in my backyard that was once a vegetable garden, and next year it will be restored to its former glory, mark my words! We will be fed entirely by our land for at least a single meal next year, that's my goal!

Speaking of living off the land, I'm absolutely fascinated by foragers. This guy, Fergus the Forager (sounds like something out of Lord of the Rings) has tried to eat only from the wild around him for an entire year. I would love to learn to properly identify and harvest food from the wild and at least try it. The idea of getting free, nutritious, natural, and potentially delicious foods from relatively untouched land around me is so exciting! I don't know if I'd go as far as to hunt for wild game - that seems to be my husband's expertise - but going off barreling into the woods for lunch (and dyeplants for fibre!) seems like a really wonderful way to spend some time.

As I've been learning more and more this summer about canning, preserving and making decadent jams and jellies (!!!) perhaps this piqued interest is just some function of a recently apparent nesting instinct since the purchase of our home.

Is Fergus crazy for eschewing convenience in favour of his super slow food principles, or is he on to something?

For now, a list of 7000 plants that aren't commonly used as food - but could be.