“Beauty is the language of care.” – Alice Waters, We Are What We Eat: A Slow Food Manifesto
The promise of June has arrived with flowers in full bloom. Summer crops of tomatoes, squash, cucumbers, and peppers have all been set out. After all, I have sowed in the greenhouse I find myself wishing for yet more space in the garden, hoping to fit every last plant. The newer potager garden is filled with flowers and vegetables, and my excitement surges as I imagine how it will grow. This potager garden is a French form of gardening, potager meaning one pot, and it emphasizes beauty as equally important as the bounty of the harvest.
I was inspired to create a potager garden after last summer when I was asked by a guest what the purpose of the zinnias were. Smiling, I replied, for no other purpose than to make the gardener happy. My answer, brief as it was, held greater meaning. The zinnias I planted were one of the first flowers I put in the garden myself, it was the moment that I felt I was starting to make my mark on the garden. I planted them at either end of the rows of peppers for no other reason than I love these electric and profuse flowers. Seeing them bloom in the garden I was overjoyed and I understood that I needed to share this gift that the garden so graciously gifted me.
Thus began my weekly fresh flower arrangement for the tasting room, a way to bring a piece of the garden inside and to share what the garden so lovingly provides. This weekly arrangement has deepened my relationship with the garden, whether it is the simple bouquet of daisies, a branch from a flowering cherry, or a more intricate arrangement. The response from my community at Brooks reaffirmed the pleasure it gave me as we all conversed over the names of the flowers, which were our favorites, or what we had in our own gardens at home.
These simple acts of beauty take shape in many forms, whether they are a fresh tablecloth or a mason jar of wildflowers. They express concern for others, they are an act of kindness and a way to express that you care. In We Are What We Eat by Alice Waters, the quote, “beauty is the language of care” voices this sentiment. Flowers are the language I speak, a way to share a kindness that extends to those around us and the broader ecosystem. Perhaps you choose another way to bring beauty and delight to those around you. Whichever you choose, these everyday small actions can influence those around us. We can choose to bring beauty to this world, and this in turn translates to kindness.
Farm to Table
This month, our tasting room menu features the following items from the Brooks Estate Garden: garlic, bok choy, green onion, fresh herbs, beets, and jalapenos.
With love from the Garden
– Shannon