Today in my anthropology of food class, we took a field trip to look at two local P-patches, or community gardens. I was enthralled by the beauty and worth of the gardens. In Seattle alone there ate 6,000 gardeners and 23 acres of land devoted to the P-Patch system. At an affordable price of $40 dollars a year for a ten foot by ten foot plot, one can acquire a space in one of these fertile gardens.
Teresa Mares, a Ph.D. student in Anthropology and expert in community gardening showed us around the gardens and taught us about how beneficial they are, especially to low-income families. For many individuals, the plots of land are not cultivated for a hobby, but for sustaining a healthy way of life. The gardens not only output a variety of good food and plants, but also friendships among the plot renters. The plots are all very different, and Teresa mentioned that “you can map cultures by studying their gardens.” When studying the gardens from an anthropologist point of view, it is often apparent which plot belongs to which culture. For example, a Russian family garden plot may have potatoes, roots and cabbage, whereas a Mexican family garden may have beans, corn and cilantro. These community gardens are in Teresa’s words “A social movement that’s building around local food.” Making it easy to cultivate local based foods will allow us to get away from the use of petroleum in overseas food transport. It is easier on people and the environment to eat locally. My hope, along with many others, is that community gardens will continue to emerge and build a positive reputation throughout the United States.
Teresa Mares, a Ph.D. student in Anthropology and expert in community gardening showed us around the gardens and taught us about how beneficial they are, especially to low-income families. For many individuals, the plots of land are not cultivated for a hobby, but for sustaining a healthy way of life. The gardens not only output a variety of good food and plants, but also friendships among the plot renters. The plots are all very different, and Teresa mentioned that “you can map cultures by studying their gardens.” When studying the gardens from an anthropologist point of view, it is often apparent which plot belongs to which culture. For example, a Russian family garden plot may have potatoes, roots and cabbage, whereas a Mexican family garden may have beans, corn and cilantro. These community gardens are in Teresa’s words “A social movement that’s building around local food.” Making it easy to cultivate local based foods will allow us to get away from the use of petroleum in overseas food transport. It is easier on people and the environment to eat locally. My hope, along with many others, is that community gardens will continue to emerge and build a positive reputation throughout the United States.
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