Ample Harvests: Love and Food Sharing


A good friend will give me apples from her orchard tomorrow, and this weekend, I’m going to make my husband’s absolute autumn favorite – homemade apple pie.

I love the benevolent communities that gardeners build. This friend of mine has spent summer enjoying my fresh garden veggies and peaches, and now that apple season is here, she’s paying forward the good karma with these amazing, orchard-fresh apples.

I’ll definitely munch a few apples before I consign the rest to pie. I love fresh apples. They bear no resemblance to the tasteless, spit-shined, agro-business products called ‘apples’ that we find at markets. There’s not much I like about autumn, but I do look forward to these apples.

Yesterday, another fellow gardener gave me some of his early garlic, mild and tender. Last night, I used it in a yummy, fresh salad dressing. He used my cucumbers and squash to feed his family this summer.

Food sharing is an awesome gift and an eloquent practice. The food we grow is utterly superior to corporate-produced food: it’s nutrition-packed, pesticide-free, and absolutely delicious. I grow good veggies: she grows good apples. So, we trade.

But there’s more than bartering going on here. There’s deep love in the act of giving someone food you’ve cultivated. Body and spirit is nourished. No one goes hungry: no one is alone. We keep our money away from agribusiness and instead share the gifts of our gardens. Just Mother Earth and us. This is true community. This is holistic gardening.

On a totally unrelated note, but in keeping with what I wrote the other day about my 
commitment to Ayurveda, I decided earlier this week so let my hair do two things: return to its natural curl and color, and allow it to grow as long as it likes. It’s pretty long now, but I’m going to go for its maximum potential.

I’ve been straightening my locks for years. The heat has done some damage. I’ve also bleached my hair, and that has positively wrecked it. So, I’ve put away all the heating appliances – blow dryer and flat iron. No more heat. I bought a wide-toothed wooden comb a few days ago and threw away my hairbrushes. I’ve taken the hairdresser’s name out of my phone contact list, and this weekend, I’m going to my favorite Indian market to pick up neutral henna, alma powder, and mustard seed oil. A very potent Ayurvedic hair oil for strength, length, and natural good health can be made using these three pure ingredients.

I’m going to give this three years. My hair grows pretty fast, so I’m curious how long it will get. But better than that, I’m happy and relieved to be dispensing with the conceit and time-wasting of processed hair. Ayurvedic hygiene is an experience of body and a spiritual practice.

My hair, in its natural state, is chestnut with a touch of auburn, and wavy. Why was I changing that? What were my expectations? Why wasn’t liking myself, as is? I’ll endeavor to answer those questions as I take this journey. Even growing our hair can lead us to the path to enlightenment.

Much love,
Barbie xo

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