Tamar Haspel has been writing her “Unearthed” column in the Washington Post since 2011, yet I only became aware of it two weeks ago. Why had I missed out? Simply because it appears in the Food Section – something I tend to overlook as much as Sports coverage due to my dislike of cooking.
But in the last year I’ve become an avid reader of food nutrition research with the hope of adopting a healthier diet – without changing who I am genetically. Tamar covered an issue which finally captured my interest when she declared on the paper’s home page that diet soda is perfectly safe; there was even an accompanying link stating there was “zero evidence that diet soda is bad for us”, while most salads were nutritional and environmental losers!
Who am I to argue against such advice from an award-winning journalist with no specific bias on this subject? Immediately I became an admirer.
As a non-Trekkier myself, I found out she had written the perfectly named memoir “To Boldly Grow,” which gave even non-Trekkies like myself something to laugh about. Reviews all mentioned her humor-laced writing style so I set out to read it (since my library wasn’t knowledgeable about Trek).
As a food writer for years, Tamar never really considered where her passion for gardening stemmed from until she married Kevin – an “active doer.” With just the success of a few tomato pots on their Manhattan roof terrace garden and daily visible growth she began to understand why people garden.
They eventually bought two acres and a “shack on a lake” on Cape Cod and expanded their ambitions boldly. Tamar set herself a daily challenge of eating one “first-hand” food item grown, fished, foraged or hunted themselves.
Wondering why? According to Sheridan, it wasn’t because we were seeking self-sufficiency; rather they’re staunch advocates of interdependence. “It was simply the tomatoes and clams – plus the sense of accomplishment from taking risks outside my comfort zone; writing about other people doing things with food had become too easy! Now was my turn!”
Tamar Evaluates Expert Gardening Advice
The couple received assistance from books, articles, forums, and websites but often found themselves more confused after consulting multiple experts on gardening issues than when they started. Sometimes this could be because experts will tell us only what experts could grow, while our goal was to know what anyone could grow; other times there may be too many disagreements between experts; or simply that these experts hadn’t visited their own houses yet.” I hear an “Amen!”
Oh no! She hasn’t completed with the experts just yet!
Experts often cling to the notion that their expertise is required in various endeavors.” “Plants can be complex. Botany is an academic subject and should only be handled by true specialists – but I discovered that even novice gardeners can successfully grow tomatoes!”
Gardening is as localized as politics; our most effective resources were our neighbors who shared similar conditions, soil issues and pest infestations.”
They joined the Cape Cod Organic Gardeners not because they wanted to grow organically, but because there wasn’t an organization called Cape Cod Prudent and Ecological Gardeners to join.
Boldly Foraging, Fishing, Hunting and Raising Poultry
Chapters covering fishing, hunting and foraging captured my interest not so much for their specifics but rather due to the spirit of boldness they displayed – far beyond anything I’d be capable of personally doing myself. She recounts 10 years’ worth of personal experience living her journey “first hand”.
