There used to be a time when my grandparents grew beets, potatoes, cabbage, lettuce, rhubarb, grapes, cucumbers, and beans in their backyard. They passed when I was in my teens, but I’ve never forgotten how superior it was to eat vegetables freshly picked and cooked. Being that he came from another era altogether, my grandfather’s reliance on heavy fertilizers was non-existent. In fact, for the most part, he used compost and other common additives to enrich and protect the soil. He also weeded by hand ...More »