Proof of Life

Here it is, a baby potato plant. This is one of the several Caribe's to have emerged of which I probably planted 20. The Yukons were no show until this morning when I found two. At this point they look pretty much the same as far as the above ground portion. Its been very wet lately and I was concerned for their health in the heavy clay soil. Hopefully as the years progress, the successive additons of organic matter ought to improve things. That still blows my mind. The act of gardening sustainibly can improve a soil's quality and increase fertility. How far a cry from the days when land was plowed to death and then left behind for greener pastures.

Being the descendant of a people who depended on the potato to sustain their lives, there is a certain deep ancestral joy I got from seeing these sprouts come up. It never hurts to think back on where we have been when we start to consider where we are going. In a time when we were tennant farmers, and the landlord gave us one acre to feed our families, potatoes were one of the few crops to be calorie effective in the small plots. In a time when we are once again constricted by lack of land, we may once again find salvation in the humble potato. Thankfully, we know the value now of crop rotation and genetic diversity to keep the troubles of the past at bay.