“Oh let’s have potatoes tonight”, mom exclaimed as we discussed the dinner menu and what delectables we could cook-up together. And then a moment of silence as she considered the next question: “Celines will you go to the root cellar and see if we have any of those big guys left?” Thanks to our cousin Louisa and her soil magic, mom’s potatoes were legendary this year! She invited her grandchildren home for their “potato moments" and gave summer tours of her “rows that would not quit”. The joy of digging in the dirt and harvesting these starchy gems with our own hands is a grounding experience that has the whole family lining up to help dig.
In truth mom needed extra baskets in the root cellar this year to contain the tubular abundunza! A few times I caught her “down-cellar” fondling the fruits of her labors. Watching her eyes light-up like Christmas morning every time she walks into the root cellar is enough to get us really thinking about how to persuade Louisa to bring some of her secret soil sauce back to the garden beds.
Recently, we noticed we were getting down to the bottom of the baskets. There's nothing like finding a few potatoes at the end still sprout-free. So I must confess, I tried to sneak tried to sneak more potatoes from the Farmers Market into mom’s sacred root cellar. Mom knows the difference, and she did not appreciate my efforts! She told me it screws-up her system — “breaks moral”. You see she has been talking to her tubular friends coaching them through the long winter months as they patiently wait for their culinary debut. And oh those spuds can satisfy just about any tongue! The culinary delights that can be made out of them. Mashed, baked, scalloped, fried, potato soup (we have not tried vodka, but you never know!) - the possibilities are endless!
So when mom asked me to go down to grab the last potatoes; I could feel her worry. You see, they are like family. The potatoes were really trying to hold out this year to help mom seed the garden. Clearly, they have been talking to mom sharing their own concerns about what happened to the garden last summer - they don't want mom’s garden turning into a disco at night and attracting male rat rappers. Apparently, they feel like the tomato twerking got out of hand last summer and started attracting the wrong crowd at night. They're concerned that the garden's daytime vibe - full of herbs, complimentary crop style living, and a celebration of holistic health - will get lost in the nighttime disco if they don’t set down their roots early. The potatoes are advocating for a safe space above the rooted veggies for stillness, grounding, kindness, integrated health, compassion, visualization, feeling rooted, meditation, deep breathing, and general self-care — a shrine to our beloved abundance.
They may not be the most glamorous vegetable, but they sure are versatile and full of character. And remember, always appreciate and stay true to your roots - just like our potato friends in the garden.
PS. We would like to offer a shout-out to Gon, my son Tommy’s roomate who spent hours helping us prepare the potato beds last Spring. Please come-back soon!
Feeling Rooty
Just when I thought nothing could top the mating rituals of skunks beneath the yoga room, I am now confronted with Twerking tomatoes on the disco vines.
I don’t know what’s in the water up there in Singing Bridge, but you certainly do seem to be drinking from the fountain of youthful exuberance.
I’m sure the powers that be in Vermont won’t allow you to ship any of that out of state, so I will just have to come up and join the party so that I too can stay forever young!
Spudderly delightful! Those rat rappers and twerkin' tomatoes are just lookin' for a rooty call...