Meditating on the meaning of growing a vegetable

I was recently considering what images to use in a post I wrote about organic food. I thought the point I was making might best be illustrated by contrasting an image of a pre-packaged bag of shop-bought organic salad leaves, with a shot of a lettuce growing in my garden.

It really got me thinking. So much that I decided to write some more. The difference, it dawned on me, is the difference between the isolation of the individual and the inter-connectedness of society and the earth. That may sound very grand and highfalutin, but bear with me while I explain.

When you buy a bag of organic food from a shop, you are basically doing it for yourself, or possibly your family. You are making a healthier choice, and perhaps one that makes you feel better about your impact on the earth. You can congratulate yourself on being a smart, aware and thoughtful shopper and a responsible person. It is an isolated incident, even if one of many. It has its ramifications, for better or worse, as does every action. But those consequences don’t really bind you to them; they don’t connect.

But to grow a lettuce, especially from a seed, you really have to get involved. It is not just the lettuce that grows. The whole process sends out roots and tendrils that begin to feed into every aspect of your life. It goes something like this:

Suddenly, you are thinking about compost and food scraps in a whole new way. That stuff is valuable soil food, which will benefit your garden. Earthworms are your friends and allies. You don’t want anything near them that may be harmful. Water becomes a precious commodity, to be distributed with care depending on the stage of growth.

Your beloved crop must be guarded and protected from pests – you may find yourself patrolling for snails late at night. And noticing the moonlight on the grass. And being thrilled to see ladybirds. The pride and excitement when the first shoot breaks through the soil is too much to keep to yourself. Unsuspecting visitors will be summoned out to admire, and discuss growth and share tips and exchange potential recipes.

Children will be delighted and will absolutely have to get involved in tending the plant. The opportunities for teaching and learning small and large lessons while gardening cannot be ignored. Older people who have grown things before must be consulted. Time spent together working in the garden effortlessly becomes valuable quality time.

And when at last the time arrives to begin harvesting the fruits of your labour, it is a cause for celebration indeed! Even the smallest haul must surely be shared with friends, with love and appreciation for the miracle that has occurred. A tiny inconspicuous speck of seed has produced the makings of a feast. It can all start to seem quite sacred and profound.

Gratitude for this bounty pours out with no effort, and it is very easy to feel a great sympathy for those who are not able to step outside their door to pick something for a meal. You may find yourself bursting with zeal to spread the word of how this can be done. And with a new level of anger at the contamination of soil and water, and the disenfranchisement that means so many don’t have access to a garden. A useful anger that might just motivate action beyond your own small circle…

Now you can’t tell me that all that could grow out of the purchase of a bag of salad leaves.

I just don’t buy it.