The Idea

After living most of my life in the city, I recently moved into a lovely town in southern Connecticut. I have a yard. And trees. Lots of them. The property has very little flat space, instead it is has slopes, hills, cliffs and trees. Many, many trees that shade a good portion of the land. Last summer I decided to plant a garden because, after all, I was living in the country now and figured I should take advantage of the small patch of yard that might possibly get enough sun for something to grow.

I thought it would be a great project for my young daughter and I, something to get us both away from screens, both television and computer (ah yes, let's not forget the portable IPhone).  My cousin Suzan told me about the Early Sprouts Gardening Project, an educational program geared towards young children. After reading the book which explains how the program works, I was ready to move forward with the added incentive of documented proof that involving young children in things agricultural results in less veggies left on their plates.

With childhood memories of my mother tending to roses and a short lived attempt to grow tomatoes as my only previous gardening experience, I started looking at catalogs such as  Plow & Hearth and Johnny Seeds, to figure out what I wanted to grow and what materials I needed. I ordered a raised bed, bought a bunch of dirt and started what I considered the Grand Experiment. I bought some lettuces and basil plants at a local plant sale and planted those first, then planted string beans, carrots, and pepper seeds and watched to see what would come up. We had fun watching and watering, but because our property has only limited sun, the experiment was only partially successful. What was a total success though, was an appreciation for freshly grown produce. The taste difference is amazing!!


This year, taste buds anxiously awaiting freshly grown anything, I have joined a community garden and will be part of their CSA. Each week I will pick up a selection of produce and spend the week preparing it. Follow along each week as I pick up my produce and attempt to feed my family with that week's haul as a guide. My goal is to prepare everything I get - even the kale..