Re: Where does education start?
E. Ann Clark, Associate Professor (ACLARK@crop.uoguelph.ca)
Tue, 12 Sep 1995 16:42:15 EDT
L. Carey: can't speak for anyone else, but in my own case, I learned
about sage, brussel sprouts, etc. on my own, and from my
patient friends. Although my grandparents and great grandparents
farmed, my parents didn't even have a garden. So, when I got the
"bug" about 20 years ago, I started gardening myself. Miserable
stuff, as I recall, but a start. I now have a large backyard garden
which supplies about two-thirds of our annual vegetable consumption.
I am still learning - all the time (e.g. just *where* is the garlic
supposed to be on a garlic plant?) - but I now have the company of my
5 year old son to learn alongside of me. This is a real joy - both
in feeding him healthy, nutritious, and safe food, and watching his
skills and fascination develop. We also make a game of "name the
crop" as we drive through the countryside, and he is getting pretty
good at it. He is also beginning to identify the common breeds of
cattle, and is even learning to ID some of the pasture species he
wades through "helping" me move my stock (that is another story;
another time!).
I didn't know anything about canning either, so, with trembling
hands, I bought a canner, a pressure cooker, and my first Mason jars
about 10 years ago. I fully expected to kill someone with my early
offerings, and it took a couple of years before I'd serve something
I'd canned to company. But now, while a routine occurence, I can
take real pride in offering only the best from our garden.
Upshot is that "we" can learn about food, gardening, agriculture, or
anything for that matter, if we just take our courage in both hands
and check out a book at a library, join a community garden, make the
acquaintance of a farming neighbor, chat up a farmer at a Farmer's
Market, attend a Field Crops Day.... anything. Try it - you'll like
it! Ann
ACLARK@crop.uoguelph.ca
Dr. E. Ann Clark
Associate Professor
Crop Science
University of Guelph
Guelph, ON N1G 2W1
Phone: 519-824-4120 Ext. 2508
FAX: 519 763-8933