chayote squash

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!