Feeding the heart

If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need.  -Marcus Tullius Cicero

The glory of gardening: hands in the dirt, head in the sun, heart with nature. To nurture a garden is to feed not just the body, but the soul.  -Alfred Austin

I've been interning with Pikes Peak Urban Gardens for about a month now, and I've already learned a ton. It's super laid back - I basically make my own schedule - and though it can be hard work, it's so worth it. Most days we're working on a variety of maintenance tasks, including pruning, weeding, harvesting, and composting. These days we're also working on putting some of the garden beds to sleep for the winter. 

Everyone I work with is super knowledgeable about plant cultivation, soil health, pest management, and every kind of vegetable you can think of, plus awesome stuff like beekeeping and vermicomposting. Every day I learn something. I've also started doing a bit of outreach and education in the community (with the goal of doing a lot more) to raise awareness about the organization and about growing your own food. It's the perfect work for me to be doing. Creating sustainable food systems is one of my biggest passions in life, and I also LOVE to work outside and spend time in nature. Plus, gardening is actually proven to make you happier and healthier (bacteria in soil triggers a release of seratonin in the brain, and the act of harvesting releases dopamine).

Technically I don't get paid, but on weeks like this, I would argue that I totally do. Here's a picture of what I brought home on Tuesday, when we harvested piles of veggies and divvied up the results. Carrots, pattypan squash, Boothby cucumbers, and three types of beans.

Not pictured: the half pound of cherry tomatoes I scarfed on the way home.

Today was a particularly spectacular day at PPUG's Harlan Wolfe Ranch, our demonstration farm. Sunny blue skies, abundant produce, and happy people. Thursdays are Pick and Pay days: People visit the garden, pick out whatever they want from what we have available, and we help them harvest their chosen produce. It's as fresh and local as it gets, and everything's organic. It's also so much fun just to meet people and talk to them about the gardens. Often times they end up trying something new, or at least learning about a vegetable or herb they had never heard of before. Sorrel, lovage, magda squash, mint julep tomatoes, lunchbox peppers...there's a whole new world to be discovered. 

Anyway, at the end of the Pick and Pay morning, there was still a lot left...so of course I loaded up my own bag with peppers, tomatoes, basil, mint, and a butternut squash to take home. (Does anyone else have a spiritual experience when you roast the first butternut squash of the fall? So good.)

I have to confess, I don't really like fresh tomatoes most of the year. But when I get them straight off the vine, I love them. It's like it's not even the same vegetable.

I always feel good about working for PPUG, but days like today (when I help people find and take home nutritious, exciting produce, and bring home some of my own) are especially gratifying.

If you haven't been to your local farmers' market lately, what are you waiting for?? This is one of the most exciting times of the growing season. Go now. You won't regret it.

[Read more about PPUG's awesome work here: http://www.ppugardens.org/home.html]