• Letters from CAMP Rehoboth
    • Current Issue
    • Past Issues
    • Advertising Information
    • Where Can I Get Letters?
    • The Write Stuff
  • Events
    • Featured Events
    • SUNFESTIVAL 2022
    • Women's FEST
    • Block Party 2022
  • Programs
    • Arts & Culture
    • Education & Advocacy
    • Health & Wellness
    • Community Building
    • CAMP Facilities
  • About Us
    • Membership
    • Volunteers
    • Board of Directors
    • CAMP Rehoboth Staff
    • Reports and Financials
    • History
    • Employment Opportunities
    • Press
  • Resources
    • Beach Guide Directory
    • LGBTQ Resources
    • LGBTQ Providers
    • LGBTQ Delaware Data
    • Trans & Nonbinary Resources
    • BIPOC LGBTQ Resources
    • LGBTQ Local and National Resources Guide
  • Contact
  • Shop
close× Call Us 302-227-5620
close×

Search form

July 12, 2019 - The Real Dirt by Eric W. Wahl

Victory Garden Poster

 

From Garden to Table

Trending right now, in every hip part of the country (do they say hip anymore?), you’ll probably hear about Farm to Table events where local produce is highlighted and celebrated as part of the dining experience.

Truth be told, I took part in one recently on a working farm, where I assisted a chef friend of mine in catering the event. We prepped, cooked, and plated locally sourced food right in the field and served it to eagerly awaiting guests.  It was the third time I’ve helped him for this annual Summer Solstice event, and it’s simply amazing.

If we look back at our own evolution and how we shared food with one another, I guess we would have to start with our ancestors who subsisted off the land as hunters and gatherers. We were beholden to what Mother Nature had to offer and that was enough. Once we started forming communities, things got trickier. Much more food was needed to sustain the growing population. The answer to that conundrum was agriculture, or the act of growing and harvesting our own food.

This projected us into a new standard of living and gave us the tools to exponentially increase our populations year after year. Agriculture could be argued to be a key in our survival and a way to evade an early extinction as a species. Agriculture on a mass scale has prospered ever since and within every populated region of the planet. However, there have been times where smaller, productive gardens have been almost as important.

For example, the monastic gardens of the middle ages gave us insight on plants that provided medicinal as well as tasty benefits. The gardens were known for being inward-looking and meditative in character, but were filled with fragrance, color, and a productive plant palette. They were based on early Persian gardens that always included water as it was life-giving, and where the pathways symbolized the major rivers of their area. For the Persians, this was a reflection of paradise on earth.

Moving forward, families who could afford them had kitchen gardens outside the home, which were loosely based on the monastic and Persian gardens. Divided into quadrants with pathways in between for access, kitchen gardens focused on herbs, available vegetables of that time, and maybe some fruiting shrubs or trees that could have their fruit be preserved for later use.

In the early 19th century, larger and larger farms produced more and more food for the masses. Kitchen gardens began to decline and began to take on a more decorative nature; they could also be viewed as a status symbol for the upper classes.

Once the 20th century arrived, along with World Wars I and II, many farms became casualties of the conflicts in Europe. Victory Gardens were promoted as a way to lessen the burden on farmers and to instill patriotism. These Victory Gardens became popular in the United States as well, especially during WWII, and were promoted by propaganda posters of the time. It is estimated that 18 million Victory Gardens were in the United States by 1943.

After the war, what I call “the age of convenience” began. Food became industrialized, and everything imaginable was at the consumer’s fingertips, either in a bottle, in a can, or in a prepackaged box. TV dinner anyone? I have a TV tray we can use as we watch Wonder Woman or The A-Team.

Now in the 21st century, a more health-conscious movement has been taking root. We have begun to realize that many of the innovative methods that increased food production might not be as good for us as we were led to believe. Organic and “natural” foods are “in,” and sustainability enters the food lexicon.

Community gardens and urban rooftop gardens can be found from suburban open spaces to downtown city cores. Growing your own food and documenting it to the social media crowds is all the rage. I wonder if the more “likes” one gets, the more productive the garden will be?

In any case, I’m glad the home-farmer is trending. Gardening and the act of growing your own food is beneficial in more ways than you can count, and we are just beginning to realize the benefits to our psychological health. I recently attended a seminar entitled “Your Brain on Green,” and was absolutely stunned at the benefits of just viewing green, open spaces.

As I like to say, growing your own food allows us to share in the garden’s abundance. Whether it’s sharing it with your community food pantry, at a local farmers market, or with friends and family in a Garden to Table dinner experience, I say it’s high time we start gardening together. ▼

Eric W. Wahl, RLA is a landscape architect at Element Design Group and president of the Delaware Native Plant Society.

‹ July 12, 2019 - CAMP Dates - July 12- August 4 up June 28, 2019 - Issue Index ›

Past Issues

Issues Index

  • November 15, 2019 - Issue Index
  • October 18, 2019 - Issue Index
  • September 20, 2019 - Issue Index
  • August 23, 2019 - Issue Index
  • August 9, 2019 - Issue Index
  • July 26, 2019 - Issue Index
  • July 12, 2019 - Issue Index
    • July 12, 2019 - Cover-to-cover with ISSUU
    • July 12, 2019 - The Way I See It by Murray Archibald
    • July 12, 2019 - In Brief
    • July 12, 2019 - CAMP Matters by Murray Archibald
    • July 12, 2019 - CAMP Out by Fay Jacobs
    • July 12, 2019 - President's View by Chris Beagle
    • July 12, 2019 - CAMP News
    • July 12, 2019 - Sundance!
    • July 12, 2019 - Sporty Gals
    • July 12, 2019 - CAMP Stories by Rich Barnett
    • July 12, 2019 - Out & Proud by Stefani Deoul
    • July 12, 2019 - Straight Talk by David Garrett
    • July 12, 2019 - CAMP Critters
    • July 12, 2019 - Sitting at the Bar by Mikey Rox
    • July 12, 2019 - Eating OUT by Fay Jacobs
    • July 12, 2019 - Boardwalk Food Primer
    • July 12, 2019 - Farmer's Market by Michael Gilles
    • July 12, 2019 - Health and Wellness by Marj Shannon
    • July 12, 2019 - Deep Inside Hollywood by Romeo San Vincente
    • July 12, 2019 - CAMPshots Gallery 1
    • July 12, 2019 - CAMPshots Gallery 2
    • July 12, 2019 - CAMPshots Gallery 3
    • July 12, 2019 - It's My Life by Michael Thomas Ford
    • July 12, 2019 - CAMP Cheers!
    • July 12, 2019 - Intentionally Inclusive by Wesley Combs
    • July 12, 2019 - Millennial Times by Michael Marciano
    • July 12, 2019 - Out & About by Eric C. Peterson
    • July 12, 2019 - Community News
    • July 12, 2019 - We Remember
    • July 12, 2019 - CAMP Arts by Doug Yetter
    • July 12, 2019 - Booked Solid by Terri Schlichenmeyer
    • July 12, 2019 - CAMP Dates - July 12- August 4
    • July 12, 2019 - The Real Dirt by Eric W. Wahl
  • June 28, 2019 - Issue Index
  • June 14, 2019 - Issue Index
  • May 31, 2019 - Issue Index
  • May 17, 2019 - Issue Index
  • May 3, 2019 - Issue Index
  • April 12, 2019 - Issue Index
  • March 8, 2019 - Issue Index
  • February 8, 2019 - Issue Index

Follow Us

Follow us on Social Media!

RECEIVE WEEKLY EMAIL

Information

  • Letters
  • Events
  • About Us
  • CAMP Center

Support CAMP

  • CAMP Membership
  • Volunteer
  • Contact Us
  • Donate
Copyright © CAMP Rehoboth, 2023
  • p. 302-227-5620
  • info@camprehoboth.com
  • 37 Baltimore Avenue, Rehoboth Beach, DE 19971