Fabaceae
Family
Food
Home Gardening These things are not separated,
but very much interconnected.
Since the dawn of human civilization, the scant bean,
the pea with its delicate tendrils, and delicate tiny pink petaled blooms, has fed & sustained humanity. Even long before the dawn of modern agriculture, some 12,000 years ago. For how many generations,
my own included,
have memories from childhood,
of sitting around large pots with their mothers and grandmothers preparing the pods for dinner by snapping the stems off the ends, and tossing them into the pots where they would be boiled for hours.
Often with some kind of fatty meat or bone for flavoring and added nutrients.
The fabaceae family is so much more than just a leafy legume, 🫘 it represents the roots of humanity itself. It reminds us to sit with family and prepare a meal.
To be grateful for all that we have and all that we have engineered and accomplished.
Perhaps next time you go to the store or plan a garden,
you will consider...
To overlook the canned, frozen, dried already prepared bean. And instead select,
the humble, fresh pod.
And maybe you and your family can make a little time in your busy day,
to sit around a large pot together. With your bare hands prepare the pods to your liking,
and give thanks to the little overlooked and under appreciated plant family fabaceae.
And remember your roots and the roots of humanity...
Maybe by returning even if for a moment to a long forgotten tradition, We can reconnect to our history and to each other.