"If it came from a plant, eat it; if it was made in a plant, don't." - Michael Pollan Food Rules
The concept of food cultivation and eating food that I planted myself was somewhat of a distant concept prior to a class required visit that I took to my university's garden. Just by learning the work that goes into planting and growing natural real foods made me appreciate the natural side of food cultivation, and how working to create amazing food that is good for you can change the hole entire perspective of the food market.
An essay on my first experience at the Lobo Gardens:
Having the opportunity to go to the Lobo Gardens expanded my perspective on what food culture and cultivation could be. My view of food culture has always been a blend between traditional and modern ways of cultivating. These ideas on cultivation translated into how I purchase food and how I prepare it. My trip to the Lobo Gardens gave me the opportunity to tap into the traditional way of cultivating food and the benefits of adopting some of these practices into daily life.
As America’s economy progresses, the popular desire is to have quick access and easy profit when it comes to food consumption and sales. This makes shopping at grocery stores the common practice for most Americans, rather than growing their own food or buying from local farmers. Growing up my family had a similar pattern in which we would cultivate food. We would go to Costco once a month to get big items that will not perish quickly like granola bars, water bottles, cereal etc. Then we would make weekly trips to Sprouts or Smith’s depending on what we were buying for the week. This pattern would allow us to have easy access to ingredients we would need for whatever food we would cook for the next week or two. The only exposure I had to growing fresh food was helping my grandmother with her vegetable garden and a few fruit trees that she had in her backyard. This is were I would get the blend of modern and traditional cultivation; however, field days at the Lobo Gardens gave me a chance to gain more insight into this traditional way of gathering food.
My first day at the Lobo Gardens was a completely different and slightly daunting experience for me. My first experience with having to keep a plant alive was my freshman year of college. I bought a tiny succulent that was a vibrant green with little rosy tips to put in my dorm room. Succulents are one of the lowest maintenance plants that can be bought. So, imagine my trauma when I could not even keep this tiny desert plant alive for more than a month. This memory was the first thought that came to mind when my group and I started delegating tasks at the herb garden such as weeding, watering, labeling, and much to my horror planting. However, as I started completing these tasks and seeing progress I developed an appreciation for what I was once apprehensive about. After I gained some confidence and excitement for the work my group and I would be performing in the herb garden, I began to analyze what does the work that we would be doing meant and how will the effect food climate at UNM and in Albuquerque. The herb garden at UNM is not a main food source for the obvious reason that it is mainly herbs. However, if one person is impacted by something like the herb garden then this one person can spread the impression that was made upon them to others around them. Even though there is only five of us gaining perspective on food cultivation in the most natural form from this garden, we can always take our experiences and share them with others. This is how things like the Co-Op on campus gains traction, or food pantries like Rio Grande Food Project, or even food hubs like Roadrunner Food Bank. All it takes is one person or a group of people to cultivate food and share the efforts of their cultivation with people around them who need it the most. The first day I spent at the Lobo Gardens kickstarted this way of thinking for me, and I know going forward I will embrace the natural side of food culture and the benefits it has on my personal growth.
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