(Harvesting my little carrot bowl on the patio!)

I distinctly remember my ah-ha moment of making a personal connection to where food comes from. It was in the early 60s in Vancouver, when my family stayed at great-aunt Bella’s house while on vacation. When we arrived, this ancient stranger asked me to go out to the back garden to bring in some lemon leaves for tea. Well, I stepped out her back door and into a different world.

The humid canopy of huge green growth and rows of sprouting vegetables framed by abundant flower patches stopped me in my five year-old tracks. Mom had sometimes planted a little garden in the backyard, but that little dry patch of dirt was mostly where the dog peed. This, this was like my version of Narnia. I wandered with delight through the fruit bushes and snagged a fresh raspberry, which I held in my hand and looked with wonder at for a long enough time that they all came to find me.

We all scampered around, exclaiming with delight when we recognized what the tops of plants would reveal underneath. Bella took me to the lemon tree and showed me how to rub my thumb and forefinger on the leaves to sniff the lemon scent it left behind. We seemed to line up at different places in her garden, waiting for her assistance to reveal the bit of magic that each plant would produce.

Bella must have wondered about us and how we survived as a species. This old lady, who had always lived alone, would blanch, can, freeze, share, propagate every single item that grew in abundance. My family made weekly Saturday morning trips to the grocery store. I’m grateful there always seemed to be money enough to keep all four of us kids fed, but that sense of wonder just doesn’t sprout from the produce aisle as well as it does from the ground.

I’ve had the privilege of watching small children experience their own Aunt Bella Moment, as they walk long rows at the u-pick farm where I spend some time each week. Carrots are often a source of glee, because they can be pulled by very young hands to reveal such vibrant colour as they surface inch by inch to the astonished picker! And in that moment, another person has discovered the connection to their food and their own role in the whole life-giving process of nature.

Sending gratitude to all the producers whose work fills our pantries and our plates, especially those who take the time to share their wisdom. Ciao Bella!