Locomotoring

… we had grown la ratte potatoes (link) more than 14 summers ago. Back then, I was disappointed with the yield. I have since realized that the trick to growing a vegetable patch, particularly in a suburban yard, is not to think about the bountiful yield but to focus on the bountiful happiness instead. The happiness of watching vines grow and flowers bloom. The happiness of watching butterflies and bees flutter and buzz about. The happiness that comes from learning about culinary practices elsewhere. Like the Hoja Santa (link) with root beer like flavor. In my case, I have found my garden to be an excellent anxiolytic.

Growing herbs is often one of the highest return on investment albeit it takes a little knowhow to figure out what to do with them. Some like the mint grow fast and furious and are best turned into chutneys. Oregano and epazote don’t mind being dried. Some weeks, eating the herbs as salad mix make perfect sense. I am also trying an Aangan house herb mix – like the Caribbean green sauce (link), except this is a surprise sauce. Some weeks, the mix has more of the vietnamese coriander (rau răm), other weeks it has more of the basil. My single fenugreek plant contributes to garnish.