It's been my simple motto for a long time, to focus on growing just one thing. How special is that, to know that you grew all of the raspberries, for instance, you eat in a year? Your one item becomes your special ingredient of the year. And amazingly there are several things you might grow that would be a pretty easy undertaking. It doesn't cost much to grow a few plants and the benefits are endless.
You would be producing your own nutrient-rich food, lovingly tended by hand, which some believe might even be off the charts with earth's healing co-factors and nutrients we have yet to discover, but contribute to health and wellbeing.
You would be able to share a meaningful story about your food, connect with earth, and feed your loved ones with your hard work and special bounty.
Think of growing all of the tomatoes you eat in a year. This may seem like a lot, but according to the USDA, the average person eats about 20-25lbs. of tomatoes in one year.
If you were to get a good tomato seedling, great compost, a big, sturdy pot, and a big tomato cage to trellis your plant, you would have a good chance of growing 20lbs. of tomatoes on that one single plant! Who knew?!
Growing your own tomato plant is like having a friendly short term pet. You nurture it when it's a baby and smile every time you pass by to see it growing strong and tall. Before long, you spot a few yellow flowers and then some baby tomatoes coming in after that. Proudly, you make sure your baby gets watered and old leaves stripped. As the weather heats up, juicy red tomatoes start popping up all over and the first harvest is days away.
We always commence the tomato season with sliced tomatoes, mozzarella, a basil leaf, salt and freshly cracked pepper, mmm!
