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My mother grew a vegetable garden as a necessity. Thirty years later, I still plant a garden every year. I don't really need to; my daughter and husband shun vegetables! I do it for the sheer joy of watching the plants grow. There is nothing better in the world than being barefoot in the garden, grazing on raw sweet corn, cherry tomatoes and pole beans. I have spoiled many a dinner with raw foods! I grow more than my small family eats in our 10x25 foot plot in the backyard. I enjoy sharing the bounty with neighbors and trading for the different things they've grown. Several of my friends belong to a farmer's co-op and get boxes of veggies 11 months of the year. Gardens, weather cooperative or personal, bring small communities of people together. In a world of twitters and texts, growing and trading vegetables allows us physical contact with our society.

posted 3 years, 1 month ago
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