Green thumbs up, green thumbs down

Our trek down to Oregon meant that we could indulge in relatively responsible fast food at Burgerville. Their commitment to local was delicious, as I ignored my allergies for a Tillamook cheeseburger, and washed it down with a fresh strawberry milkshake. The flavor and texture reminded me of a shake we picked up at a roadside shack a few years back, with real, tasty strawberry chunks that clogged the straw. Darling Husband was disappointed in his vanilla shake, but the rest of us were too busy slurping to offer him any of ours.

But one of the neatest things was the kid’s meal: this was the first time I didn’t have to remove anything from the bag before I handed it over to Little one. Burger: Oregon Country Beef, check; Fries: Oregon potatoes, check; Shake: fresh local strawberries and Tillamook ice cream, check; toy; seed packet and pot, check. Yes, you heard right, a packet of cucumber seeds and a little rice fiber pot to plant them in. Granted, the pot was made in China, but here was a freebie that we could actually use: Little One planted it all by himself (all 23 seeds, we’re going to have to transplant!) and it sits in the middle of our summer dining table on the deck.

Little One is a happy gardener, always joining me in my morning puttering, helping weeding, planting and watering. Lettuce was on today’s agenda, together with a replant of beans that fell victim to early morning slugs. I had picked up a seed packet at the coop for some green leaf lettuce from Seeds of Change, and change they have. The little paper packet has been replaced by “Exciting New” plastic envelopes that they say take less energy to produce and use up less space in the landfill. Okay, I absolutely buy the energy statement, but must take issue with the statement about landfill. In my garden, the envelope is not wasted: emptied packets sit on a stick at the end of the row (I’m forgetful, so it’s nice to remember what I planted), and a paper envelope, if it even makes it to the end of the season intact, gets collected in the fall cleanup and dumped on our very own compost heap. I may come around, but for now, I’ll remain a stick in the mud. With a paper seed packet on top, thank you.