‘Foodie’ searching for a community garden

food

By Glen Turner – Special to the Sydenham Current

Ok. I have a confession to make.

I confess… I LOVE food!

Now, with society’s need to label everything, I guess I should be called a: foodie? foodster? foodaholic?

It’s true. I love to cook, and I DO love to eat.

Problem was, I grew up in a strictly ‘meat and potatoes’ kind of family.

If dinner wasn’t on the table by 5:30 p.m., my father had a fit! You know the scene, I’m sure, if you grew up that way.

Oh, we had Chinese occasionally, or what passes in this country for ‘Chinese Food’ it isn’t… trust me.

Authentic Chinese is awesome, if you skip the ‘Bird’s Nest Soup.’

Luckily, more than 40 years ago, I discovered the joy of Japanese cuisine.

And now, finally, this area has discovered the same joy.

Even Chatham offers Japanese now (three places), as well as Korean, Indian and Thai cuisine.

Sarnia is even better!

I love it.

Sure, I could go out for a burger, pizza, chicken etc., but for about the same amount of money, I can get sushi and sashimi, Bulgogee, Tandoori or Pad Thai.

Even more fun is learning to cook those styles. I seldom succeed, unfortunately.

Also, I’ve discovered the joys of growing my own food.

My regular fall routine now is freezing my own soups and pasta sauces, all with fresh veggies from my own garden.

Not to mention the zucchini bread, frozen peppers and beans, all of which are my winter grub.

It’s better for me, AND has helped me lose weight! I like knowing that my own stuff is healthy. And my friends and neighbours benefit, because I usually grow way too much.

Here’s a question… is there such a thing here as a ‘Community Garden?’

I’ve been reading for years about land donated for those, where local people can grow their own produce, save money AND eat healthier.

Please, let me know.

I’d be glad to help out.

- Advertisment -