It might just be one of my favorite books of all time.
No, I don’t plan on getting goats. Our HOA would not be happy. I do love the idea that you don’t have to live on a farm to grow (at least some of) your own food. I’ve always been a gardener, but this book may just take my gardening to a new level. I am finding so many places where I want to talk to the authors and say, “Yes, I know exactly what you mean!”
I had big plans, one summer night, to head to the grocery store and pick up a few things for dinner. I was thinking about grilling something, finding some fresh veggies, and whipping up a side dish to go along with it. Well, the day wore on and I got lazy. It was getting close to dinner time and I thought, “I have no desire to go to the store. I know this sounds lazy, but I’ll just go out and pick tomatoes and basil and make a pasta salad. We’ll call that dinner.” I made my pasta dish and picked some berries from the yard to serve on the side. Everyone was happy and had no idea that I had something fabulous planned instead. In the book, Little House In The Suburbs, the author talks about almost that same scenario. The “lazy mom’s dinner” often looks like frozen pizza, but it can easily turn into grabbing whatever is ready in the garden. I have to admit, it was a pretty awesome feeling to create a meal out of the produce growing in my backyard rather than having to run out to the store…and it was all because I was feeling lazy.
I was talking to my friend, Jenny, about gardening and I think she summed it up nicely. She said, “I just want to grow enough food that I can have my kids go outside and pick their own snacks everyday.” Doesn’t that sound perfect? I don’t have any intention of being completely self-sufficient with my gardening, and push myself over the edge. I do want to grow just enough that we have food to nibble on, I can have fun playing in the dirt, and my kids have a true understanding of where their food comes from.
I still want chickens. And a compost bin. That’s all.
Happy reading and gardening!
