The fresh fruit and veggies are certainly a welcome byproduct when I grow, share and trade my backyard bounty, but I grow food because it is fun and I get to be outside.
I'm not under any false illusions that I am going to stop any global warming or solve food security issues when I muck around out back. I don't think there is a farmer in Delta or the world that should feel threatened by my back 40. It's for me, my friends and family, and people in my neighbourhood.
Looking back 40 odd years ago, I would bet my grandparents and parents would feel the same way. They gardened for the simple fun of it for the most part, but I must say the canned goods they stored in the fall were practical and most notably delicious when presented in the middle of February for a dinner add on of some description.
I can remember people sharing all kinds of stuff in my neighbourhood when I was a kid. Rhubarb pies, apples, carrots and sauces would find their way to new homes via back lanes on lazy summer afternoons. These were some of the first and arguably best "social networks" I can recall. I can still hear the squeaking of my dad's old rotisserie barbecue when these transactions were occurring.
Backyard gardening is a healthy and fun activity and I find it very rewarding to fend off a host of problems that Mother Nature throws at me every year. A mild winter this year has kept me in herbs for months. It's probably the first year I can recall keeping oregano, sage, Italian parsley, garlic and rosemary going all year.
I probably like growing so much, and the ensuing culinary gymnastics, because I was exposed to backyard food from an early age.
I'm one of the lucky ones, I guess.
Sadly, such a simple, productive activity has lost some of its luster over the years. Busy lives have taken over and recreational time has become fragmented with the rec room proving to be a clear winner over the backyard in the activ-ity arm wrestle.
Why, after all, would a youngster tend a few rows of veggies when he or she could be killing zombies on Xbox? Duh!
Kids need to know a little more about horticulture and be taught to consider it as a recreational activity that may have some long-term benefit for themselves and their friends and family. Right here in Delta, our agriculture plan is calling for more curriculum related to agriculture and farming and our very own school district has been studying the idea of an agriculture academy.
These are good things that can be supported and enhanced with a little plot in the backyard.
If you are looking for an excuse to start thinking about these things, May 19 has been chosen by the Jamie Oliver Foundation as "Food Revolution Day."
Head out to West Coast Seeds in Ladner for a little shopping, or plan a scratch made dinner, but make sure you get the kids involved. That way you don't have to chop the onions.
For more information on why we need a Food Revolution Day, check out the e-book at www.foodrevolutionday.com.
