Today was far too beautiful to spend inside. On a last-minute inspiration, I expanded the outdoor portion of my plan for this afternoon and introduced the Great Green Chilli Garden Search! This consisted of a romp in the spring air, discovering the garlic shooting up in ranks (looks like just about everything I planted in the fall is back!), finding seeds, feeling and smelling the soil (the adjectives used were quite varied, but for me there's few things that feel or smell better than dirt in the spring), and identifying plants that survived the winter. As to the latter, it was a pretty long list, due in part to the mild winter: we found kohlrabi, collard greens, cabbage, grass (I don't think that stuff can die), brussels sprouts, thyme, chives, oregano, hyssop, and lavender. Some critters were also out and about, and the Chillis identified spiders, an asian beatle, and a centipede.
When we finally pulled ourselves back inside, the Chillis imagined and drew what they thought a hamburger plant might look like. We discussed how most (if not all) our food -- including burgers -- depend on plant-based sources: the grass grows, the cow eats the grass, we eat the cow.
When we finally pulled ourselves back inside, the Chillis imagined and drew what they thought a hamburger plant might look like. We discussed how most (if not all) our food -- including burgers -- depend on plant-based sources: the grass grows, the cow eats the grass, we eat the cow.
For more on this "grass-roots" subject and its implications, check out Polyface, Inc., self-described as a "family owned, multi-generational, pasture-based, beyond organic, local-market farm and informational outreach in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley."