Big Life

Please excuse me for a couple of weeks. Something wonderful and huge is happening around here in Thinking-Stomach-Land, and don't you worry, I'll let you know all the details as soon as I can.

In the meantime, I charge you with a task. Here is the context: this summer, I was lucky enough to stumble across COFEA (Co-op and Food Exchange of Altadena), a group of local gardeners who share and exchange their bounty with each other. This group has proven to me the accessibility of localism; one person doesn't have to grow everything! In fact, with some of the struggles I've experienced in my garden, I haven't been able to growly nearly as much as I would have liked. Luckily, basil grows like a weed for me and people seem to want it, and for big bouquets of basil, I've received some wonderful garden produce.

Here is the task: if you're a food-growing gardener, find someone or a group of someones with whom you can tag-team garden. Don't be limited by lack of space. Perhaps you can grow the chilies on a balcony while another person grows the tomatoes and a third grows the cilantro—it will be a salsa party every time you get together. COFEA uses yahoo groups to organize, but there are many different means of doing the same thing. Just find what works for you. I can't wait to hear your ideas, successes, and even the hiccups along the way of making this happen near you.

Part of a spread from a recent COFEA get-together. Everything is from someone's back (or front) yard.