Chapter One

Why I Decided to

Grow a Garden

F

or almost 60 years I have been running the final stretch of the relay race to

put healthful food on the table, which means I was the last one to carry the

baton of fresh fruits and vegetables, preparing them for the plate, which

is  the finish line. It’s not an uncommon role for most cooks, professional or

otherwise.

Another member of the team started the race by selecting and germinating

the seeds. Another followed by preparing good soil and transplanting the veg­

etable “starts.” A third and fourth nurtured those plants through their maturity

and got them to market to be handed over to me—the cook.

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