Brainwashed
I’m not at all a proselytizer, generally, but apparently my efforts to eat a bit more seasonally have not gone unnoticed.
Exhibit A: A blueberry-pear tart a friend bought at a local shop and brought to share for lunch.
Ben’s reaction: “Blueberry tart?! What?! Blueberries aren’t in season!”
Exhibit B: Dinner at a friend’s house (the same friend, in fact), with pesto pizza.
Ben’s reaction: “Pesto?! Impossible! Basil doesn’t grow in the cold winter!”
Meanwhile, the cafe that Ben and Eli have set up outside our kitchen now sports a spiffy “USDA Organic” sign, which Ben found on the computer and printed out himself, and the boys now grow imaginary crops for the cafe in our living room. As of last night, their garden included carrots, potatoes, an olive tree, a caper bush, and a maple tree, for syrup. They also harvest their own cocoa beans. Of course.
So glad that I can further your cause by setting a bad example. 😉
I also pointed out to Ben that he would need to go through a certification process before he could officially label his produce “USDA Organic” (my cheerfully snitty reaction to the fact that the smart little monkey was googling “organic logos” in the first place — my almost-5-year-old wouldn’t even know where to begin and likely doesn’t know what a logo is in the first place), so you might want to be on the lookout for downloaded certification forms and/or the certifying agent at your door….
Well of course they do! What kind of garden would it be without a cocoa plant?!?
Aah! We had pesto pasta for dinner last night!
But, in my own defense, it will be a little easier to cook/eat seasonally in a few months, when our CSA membership begins! (the csa idea came, of course, from your blog!)
Oh! We’re joining a CSA too thanks to you!
Oh, that’s what I’d call a case of “good” brainwashing 😉
For Ben:
http://www.ams.usda.gov/nop/CertifyingAgents/CertAgenthome.html
Happy certification….
Well, you can grow basil in greenhouses in the winter…and thus have fresh pesto all year round. Ben’s comments seem very indicative of his age, when they really like knowing there are “rules” for things and pointing out to others when the rules are not being followed! I think it’s cool he has the idea of seasonal fruits and vegetables at such a young age.