I am a Master Gardener and a long time home grower. I grow vegetables for our extended family and also grow a wide variety of fruits. I grew up with agriculture, which now appears to be vanishing from the community.
My oldest granddaughter had a closet door pop off its rail and land on her big toe. She lost the toe nail, and my wife suggested she put it under her pillow for the Toe-nail Fairy. Well, she came and let a ten-spot.
Later, at dinner, she refused to eat a ‘bad’ pea. It had lost its outer skin and the developing root was showing. I explained that, if we hadn’t cooked the pea, that part would turn into a root and new plant would grow out of it.
The look of total disbelief she gave me…
Here was a girl who believed in the Toe-Nail Fairy, but didn’t believe a pea was a seed. Totally unacceptable.
We sprouted some peas and beans in a clear plastic cup full of media with the seeds pressed up against the cup. We watched as the peas and beans sprouted roots and then leaves. We later planted these in the garden together, watched them grow and then picked the peas. It was an eye-opening experience for her.
I want to make sure that kids today have as much faith in growing food as in the Toe-Nail Fairy. Don’t you?
