I have great memories of helping my grandfather in his garden in Rye Cove, Virginia. I would help pick vegetables, water plants, and was rewarded for every ‘potato bug’ I picked off the leaves. These memories are invaluable to me now, and as I toured his garden once more this past weekend when I visited for Memorial Day, I was brought back to the same hot summer days following behind him down rows of green beans, potatoes, and corn, looking at his bee hives (from afar), and returning to the house to break beans, shuck corn, and can things for the winter.
My family received most of these canned items, and I grew up eating all of these vegetables alongside Appalachian staples like cornbread, potato cakes, fried morels, and more. My plate always had color and I was encouraged to ‘try everything at least once,’ as my Mamaw would say. I was never a picky eater and loved lima beans, peas, and many other ‘green things’ from a young age – I owe this, and my passion for sustainability and self reliance, to my heritage.
Now, my fiancé and I find ourselves following the same path. We love learning about ways we can be more self-sufficient, eat cleaner, and look forward to instilling these same beliefs in our children one day. I didn’t realize how easy it was to grow things without using any unnecessary chemicals or pesticides. I didn’t realize how little space I needed – or how little knowledge I needed to get started. I also didn’t realize that a fantastic support system existed right here in my backyard to make the learning curve that much less steep.
I think about how much we have learned already in the short amount of time we have been in the program and cannot wait to see where it goes from here. The fun, freedom, and pride we have found in being able to go outside and pick vegetables that I can turn around and have on my plate for my family in minutes is unmatched. There’s a feeling there that’s like no other and I am happy to be carrying on that tradition for the next generation of my family.
~McKenzie Templeton
