There are lots of ways for gardeners to get more food from their gardens. They can improve the soil, optimize the layout of growing beds, rotate crops, plant in successions, keep up with picking — things like that. But what about putting those vegetables on the table? It doesn’t matter how many bumper crops you have if you’re not eating them.
By now, most people know that vegetables and fruits are as good for you as the traditional mother-and-grandmother brigade always told you they were. Armed with vitamins, antioxidants and fiber, they nurture the human body in many ways. We’ve all seen posters showing their honorable position on the food pyramid, and the importance of food diversity. Eat a rainbow of yellow, orange, red, purple and green, we are told, at least five servings a day.
Most people do pretty well with salad greens and herbs, which are easy to grow and easy to serve. Cooking vegetables in an appetizing way can be a little harder. Often they are overcooked, poorly seasoned, or served with a misguided effort to go fat-free. Some of the nutrients in vegetables aren’t even absorbed if there is no fat in the meal, so don’t sweat that pat of butter that makes the green beans yummy, or that modest sprinkle of salt.
Part of the problem is our faith in the food trinity of meat, starch and vegetables. The fact that those three have ruled our plates so long is not wholly illogical. We need protein, carbs, fat and all the knowables and unknowables the veggie rainbow offers. But with what standards of quality? And how much of each? Even if the meat you buy is organic, and the carbs are whole, fiber-rich grains or legumes, they need not rule the meal. It’s fine to use meat as a condiment, on occasion, instead of the main event. Carbs can sometimes be gotten from bread or pasta, especially if they are whole and unrefined, but there are many instances in which a garden vegetable would serve the same function.
