more so since the Internet has provided us
with a whole new community of viewers
(many of whom have only the vague recol
lections of their parents recounting the
tales of The Galloping Gourmet from the
1970s). Gradually it occurred to me that
there would be a book in all this. And it be
came my intention that this book would not only be of value to the armchair
gardener but also serve as an introduction to gardening for the person who had
the wherewithal to pick up a spade and dig
into his or her own version of the south
lawn, be it a few square yards in a suburban
backyard, a couple of pots on a balcony in
the city, or an acre or so in the country.
But beyond sharing my back-to-the
land experience with readers (along with
growing and cooking information for 60
or so garden fruits and vegetables, which
makes up the bulk of this book), there are a
few other key elements in my quest to in
form and entertain viewers and readers.
And, as a long-time student of food and
food culture, it would be remiss of me to
try to convey not only the what of eating
healthfully but also the why. In other words,
I want to give you the ammunition to be
come inspired to increase your own intake
of fruits and vegetables from that low point
of 3.5 to 9–11 per day.
For many readers, the health benefi tsof simply eating fresh and organic may be
So what if some of my store-bought,
“fresh” produce was picked 7 days ago
and then trucked over 1,000 miles to be
sorted and distributed and stored and
finally put out on display? Food loses
its ability to nourish my body every
hour after it leaves the soil. How do I
feel about the possible 151 hours during
which the food that I am eating has
been losing its value?
And how do I respond to the idea
that modern transcontinental or even
transglobal transportation of produce,
shipped off-season, is a major contribu
tor to global warming? Is my off-season
shopping increasing my personal car -
bon footprint?
Answer: I could grow my own and
enjoy the enormous nutritional benefi ts
of eating that food within 1 hour after
harvesting. And I can contribute to cut
ting back on agribusiness’s need for oil
as well as my own trips to the market.WHY I DECIDED TO GROW A GARDEN • 5