The Dirty Journey from Locavore to Backyard-avore

Posted in The Edible Garden on July 23 2009, by Plant Talk

Sunny Anderson is host of Food Network’s Cooking for Real. She will be presenting at the Conservatory Kitchen during this evening’s Edible Evening.

I’ve often thought of myself as a person who does the “small things” that make a difference because they do add up. So I satisfied my foodie need to be green by becoming a locavore, and I do my best to visit local farmers markets for produce. Farmers are the most friendly of purveyors, and a weekend just doesn’t feel complete without a stroll looking for the best produce.

As a locavore, I also have always talked of wanting to garden but knew I’d never have to ante up because, well, I didn’t have a piece of Earth to call my own.

Things changed earlier this year when I moved into a place in Brooklyn with a tiny patch of land in the backyard. I knew then, looking at the dirt and weeds, that while I wouldn’t have to go looking for a heavy equipment rental company to hire a small excavator to dig my patch of land, my mouth had still written a check my hands would soon sow.

Here’s the thing, gardening always looks so clean and pleasant in magazines and on television, and I never met a farmer at the market who didn’t have a twinkle in his or her eye, but when I began to garden it didn’t look or feel as I pictured it. Not once did I put on khakis with a denim button-down shirt over a white tank top. My tools are constantly dirty, and I also gave up on using my gloves because I somehow manage to get dirt inside them and they just don’t feel as good as my natural grip.

It also took forever to get the soil ready on the first day. I guess I thought I’d simply sow some seeds and then wait. I never thought about weeds and mulching, pruning, and watering. Also, no one ever tells you about the obsession with the weather you obtain or the sleepless nights thinking about if the next day will be the day you see a sprout. Is it possible to have gardening OCD? When I was actually happy and relieved that it was raining during summer is when I knew I was on my way to becoming a backyard-avore.

There are so many surprises when you begin to garden, but the real story to tell is the first bowl of salad you eat that is all yours. From seed to sow to salad is a pretty neat journey to watch and experience.

Now, after lettuce and radishes and with the promise of onions on the way, I understand the glow on the faces of the local farmers at the market. I haven’t seen them in some time, but I often think about them and how they are actually backyard-avores helping the less fortunate become locavores. Yes, they are helping us—it’s why they smile. They know the secret: that gardening for yourself is truly fulfilling.

This is my first year with a garden and I’ve had my ups and downs, but I feel like it’s the beginning of a beautiful arrangement between myself and the Earth. Just beware, on the path from locavore to backyard-avore, there’s plenty of dirt—but that’s a good thing.

To try some of Sunny’s recipes, go to The Edible Garden recipe Web pages.

Anne Burrell, host of the Food Network series Secrets of a Restaurant Chef, will also be appearing at the Conservatory Kitchen this evening. Check out her blog GoodFoodFun.com where she writes about Thanksgiving Farm, a non-profit educational and residential facility for children and adults with developmental disabilities and their commitment to farming in a vital and healthy way.