My mother in-law is an amazing gardener. She has a big
vegetable garden and her yard is overflowing with florae. One of my favorite
things to do when I go home is to sit in my in-laws backyard and admire all of the
different plants and colorful flowers. I’ve always loved walking through her
garden and gathering fresh vegetables and sampling them as I go.
Spending the last few months living on farms, I have been
afforded this experience of eating food from the ground on a daily basis. To go
out and cut a banana tree down to collect its fruit is an eye-opening
experience. It bridges the gap between me and my food, my food and my
environment.
When I first got to Hawaii I felt like I was in ‘Charlie and
The Chocolate Factory’. Where ever I would go folks would bend over to the
ground or pick something off of a tree and tell me to eat it. And I did. I
mean, I have literally eaten leaves off of trees and yellow crunchy things
sticking out of seemingly ornament flowers. Of course, I have been well
advised. The people here are so knowledgeable and respectful of the land. They
know how to go to ‘makai’ (the sea) for fish and ‘mauka’ (mountain) to hunt
pig. They know how to plant and harvest. They know why certain fruits and
vegetables are good for you and they certainly know how to cook them. And no
food goes wasted.
This Thanksgiving I decided to give thanks to something I
have become very grateful for. Food. Delicious food right out of the earth. To
show my gratitude, Thanksgiving morning I went into the garden and collected
Chayote Squash. It’s a pastel green, wrinkly, hard, pear shaped vegetable that
grows on a vine. In its natural form it doesn’t look too appealing but peeled,
cut, and sautéed with oil, it is easily my favorite vegetable.
I will admit that I never really thought about where my food
came from (did you know pineapples grow right on the ground?). Now that I have
planted gardens, watched seeds turn into sprouts turn into delicious asparagus
and broccoli, I realize how important it is for us to take the time to
appreciate the food we put into our bodies. I was so proud to bring the Chayote
squash dish to our holiday celebration because I knew how it grew, where it
grew, and that I went out on a limb (no pun intended) to try something new.
I am so grateful for people like my mother in-law for
growing food in her backyard and teaching her children and grandchildren where
their food comes from. This information is vital to our health and to our connection
to the planet. So, the next time you eat a carrot or celery stalk take a minute to
think about where it was before it got to you. Or, go out and grow something…I dare
you!
