Monday, April 4, 2011

Sowing the Seeds of Love

Spring has begun! I don’t know about any of you out there, but I get really antsy this time of year. I just want to plant some seeds. All of the stores have these huge, full-color, beautiful seed displays that call to me. I could spend hours just looking at all of the different varieties of squash or tomatoes.

Every single store seems to understand my desire. It is like they hire someone to see where I shop, then they go around putting up these seed displays everywhere within a 10 mile radius. Do gas stations USUALLY carry marigold seeds? “Is this normal?” I ask as I buy the seeds. It is like I can’t resist the power of seeds.

The fact that something so tiny can grow into a big beautiful plant of your chosen variety is just pure magic. AND THEN to top everything off, you get to eat the fruit of some of your choices… WHOA! As I wile away the hours loitering next to the seed display of enormous capacity, with a stack of seeds lovingly placed in the fold of my t-shirt (because I have WAY too many to fit in my hand), the voice of reason (Dave) surfaces and asks “Where are you going to plant all of that?!”. Both the question and the response are the same year after year. “I’ll find a place!” I say. And so we get the seeds, a cartload of dirt (even though we have a bag in the garage already), and some extra clay pots (so that I have a place to plant to seeds).

I love getting my hands in the dirt. There is something right about it. It feels like tapping into something ancient, repeating a process that humans have been doing for years and years.

A few years ago we started getting organic seeds exclusively. They are a little more expensive to begin with, but it is nice to know that my plants are coming from the best stock.

One of the best things about planting vegetables is being able to share. Half the time, I plant an extra zucchini plant just so the neighbors can have some. Plus, I found this really simple and tasty zucchini ribbon recipe. So, if you are like me, enjoy the picking process, enjoy the nurturing of the seedling, take pride as your plant presents its first blossoms, and share the fruit of your labors with those around you.