Herbal remedy (Week 17)
"As long as the roots are not severed, all is well. And all will be well in the garden."
Anyone who has seen Peter Sellers in Being There knows all about the seemingly profound statements delivered by Chauncey Gardner. But the fact is, Chauncey was right. All will be well in the garden.
I spent the past 7 days puttering in the garden and planting a bunch of herbs. There's something about getting soil under your fingernails, and about setting those plants in a tidy row that strikes an elemental chord in all of us. It's earthy, and it's real.
Gardening is enjoying a re-birth these days, thanks to the millennial foodies and environmentalists who see all kinds of goodness sprouting from the ground beneath their feet. I've made some half-hearted attempts in the past, so the first thing I had to ask myself was what kind of garden I wanted. For me, it has to be herbs. Flowers are just kinda showy, and vegetables seem like more effort than they're worth. But strolling out to the herb garden and snipping off some chives for that night's salad makes total sense to me. Grabbing a handful of oregano and popping it into the pasta sauce is sheer joy. Plucking a mint leaf and dropping it into my gin and tonic is almost ecstatic.
Not surprisingly, a lot of research has been applied to gardening. And the results are all good – maybe even surprising. Something I had never heard of before is a soil-dwelling bacteria called M. vaccae, which apparently increases your serotonin levels and reduces anxiety when you inhale it. Other studies have shown that gardening reduces stress, improves heart health and even boosts your self esteem.
My own little journey is proving all of that to be true. Being a relative newbie to gardening, I made sure to do a little reading before I got going. I definitely wanted to avoid The Ten Mistake Herb Gardeners Make, and I learned a lot along the way. Who knew that snipping off some small leaves (the more tender and tastier ones) is actually better than culling the big ones? Stuff like that.
So, off to the garden I went. I started by taking over a small plot in a garden space shared by our condo. I decided on some basics: parsley, chives, oregano, mint, thyme and garlic. In a few weeks, I'll add more – especially when the weather becomes basil-friendly, and I'll make sure to get some rosemary. Because hey, is there anything better than roasted potatoes sprinkled with fresh rosemary? I submit there is not.
All will be well in the garden, as it has been since we first popped a seed into the ground and watched as it miraculously sprang to life. It is life-affirming to your very roots.
NEXT WEEK: Putting the MAN into manicure!
Anyone who has seen Peter Sellers in Being There knows all about the seemingly profound statements delivered by Chauncey Gardner. But the fact is, Chauncey was right. All will be well in the garden.
I spent the past 7 days puttering in the garden and planting a bunch of herbs. There's something about getting soil under your fingernails, and about setting those plants in a tidy row that strikes an elemental chord in all of us. It's earthy, and it's real.
Gardening is enjoying a re-birth these days, thanks to the millennial foodies and environmentalists who see all kinds of goodness sprouting from the ground beneath their feet. I've made some half-hearted attempts in the past, so the first thing I had to ask myself was what kind of garden I wanted. For me, it has to be herbs. Flowers are just kinda showy, and vegetables seem like more effort than they're worth. But strolling out to the herb garden and snipping off some chives for that night's salad makes total sense to me. Grabbing a handful of oregano and popping it into the pasta sauce is sheer joy. Plucking a mint leaf and dropping it into my gin and tonic is almost ecstatic.
Not surprisingly, a lot of research has been applied to gardening. And the results are all good – maybe even surprising. Something I had never heard of before is a soil-dwelling bacteria called M. vaccae, which apparently increases your serotonin levels and reduces anxiety when you inhale it. Other studies have shown that gardening reduces stress, improves heart health and even boosts your self esteem.
My own little journey is proving all of that to be true. Being a relative newbie to gardening, I made sure to do a little reading before I got going. I definitely wanted to avoid The Ten Mistake Herb Gardeners Make, and I learned a lot along the way. Who knew that snipping off some small leaves (the more tender and tastier ones) is actually better than culling the big ones? Stuff like that.
So, off to the garden I went. I started by taking over a small plot in a garden space shared by our condo. I decided on some basics: parsley, chives, oregano, mint, thyme and garlic. In a few weeks, I'll add more – especially when the weather becomes basil-friendly, and I'll make sure to get some rosemary. Because hey, is there anything better than roasted potatoes sprinkled with fresh rosemary? I submit there is not.
All will be well in the garden, as it has been since we first popped a seed into the ground and watched as it miraculously sprang to life. It is life-affirming to your very roots.
NEXT WEEK: Putting the MAN into manicure!
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