Garden: The Art Of Growing Food

This past year has taught us lots of things including one thing I’ve heard many speak about: that the pandemic forced them to slow down their usual frenetic pace. Being quarantined wasn’t easy, but some of us settled into a new appreciation of time to read books, binge on some good (and not so good?) TV, cook meals (bake sourdough?) and engage more intimately with our families in person (perfecting Tik Tok moves?) and on Zoom calls (UNMUTE, Uncle Henry!). 

And lots and lots of us started gardens last year. According to various surveys, between half and two thirds of Americans started some kind of “plantkeeping,” a trend that experts say will continue even as other activities open up. Many installed gardens to supply themselves with food but then also found it mentally and physically beneficial. Gardening is a relatively slow practice and something we can’t have total control over. Mother Nature is actually the boss and we just do the best we can to collaborate with her, so it teaches us patience, diligence and accountability for our part in making it as successful as possible.

Someone who knows about all these things is Ellen Ecker Ogden, author of The New Heirloom Garden: Designs, Recipes, and Heirloom Plants for Those Who Love to Garden. Her new book delves into all the sensory aspects of growing food, from starting seeds to the preparation of the harvest to eat. She views the garden as a haven of beauty and sanctuary and a place to play rather than work. 

About her inspiration for writing the book, Ogden says, “I’m quite in love with the seed as a symbol of growth. It is so extraordinary that from one tiny seed can come hundreds of seeds.” She is particularly keen on the importance of seed saving and scatters seed talks with other experts throughout the book who share their reasons to grow heirlooms (enhanced fragrance, more flavor, etc.) and preserve varieties of plants which would be lost forever if not for the practice.

We learn that vegetable and herb gardens can be just as aesthetically pleasing as flower gardens and – bonus — you get to eat what you sow! Heirloom refers to historical varieties of open-pollinated plants, livestock and keepsakes passed from generation to generation. And then, there is “heirloom style." As a garden designer, one of my favorite features is how she shows us that growing food can be beautifully inspired. A dozen themed garden plans with plant keys are offered as a jumping off point to design your own artful edible garden. There’s so much richness in this book beyond the usual how-to, including stories about the history of fruits, flowers, vegetables and herbs that have been grown in gardens for centuries. Gardens and plants are notoriously hard to photograph well but the numerous painterly photos by Matthew Benson are gorgeous and will make you salivate. 

Ogden's own curiosity and her extensive background in art, cooking, farming and as co-founder of The Cook’s Garden Seed Catalog have all melded together in authoring this book. She gardens in nearby Vermont and has written numerous articles and books including The Complete Kitchen Garden, a favorite of mine.  

Spencertown Academy Arts Center Hidden Gardens Virtual Lecture Series will host an illustrated talk with Ellen Ogden titled “The Art of Growing Food” on Saturday, May 1 at 4 p.m. via Zoom, sponsored by Country Caretaker Garden Center. Tickets are $10. To register, please see the Academy's website. She will also be teaching a workshop for the Berkshire Botanical Garden in mid-June on Kitchen Garden Design and Renovation.

None of us will ever forget this challenging and often tragic time in our lives but hopefully the silver lining has given us more time to reflect on our bounty and a greater appreciation of the things we took for granted. I know it has been that for me. Now, off to play in the garden!