Okay, if you are an experienced vegetable gardener, don't laugh at our novice attempt at growing food. The idea to plant a vegetable garden began with Katy and her 7th grade science class. She had learned about composting and gardening and in math class, she planned a business to sell her produce. This sounded like an excellent project for us at home, too, so in May, we dug up an area of lawn behind the garage, converted a bed of over-grown junipers, and planted two gardens. In the picture above, Michael is standing next to pumpkins and tomatoes (almost as tall as him!).
I'm standing in the plot behind the garage which is not quite as fertile as the above garden. I think this is because we didn't amend the soil like we did in the other, and it doesn't get as much sun, either. We have four corn stalks, peas, six cabbages, one onion (don't ask me what happened there), five lettuces, and a half row of carrots. The numbers of each plant are low because we decided to start small, except for the onion, of which mysteriously only one seed germinated. The kids enjoy monitoring the daily growth of the plants exclaiming, "We have created life!" Michael even ate a pea (again, please contain your laughter).
Today we picked our first peas, which Michael is shelling, and enough lettuce for a salad with dinner. The tomatoes will be ready for picking just about the time we head for the US. Instead of a pet sitter, I'm going to have to hire a garden-sitter-picker.
All over Warsaw there are vendors set up on sidewalks, selling anything from shoelaces, to used books, to fruits and vegetables (one old man selling a few desperate pieces of junk wasn't even wearing pants when we jogged by him last week). The produce is almost exclusively local and fresh (I do see the occasional bunch of Dole bananas for sale) and unbelievably inexpensive. For example, the raspberries in the forefront of the lower picture, cost less than $2 for four cups of giant berries!
But remember to bring lots of small change when shopping at the outdoor markets because the Poles hate to make change. They will wait patiently while I count out a handful of groszy coins and sigh impatiently if I hand them a single paper bill. But it's worth it because as I type this, I am pleasantly stuffed with blueberries and raspberries. I love July in Poland!
