Eating What You Know

I wonder if the Great Recession is bringing more people home to eat.  Maybe not.  I recently read in Time that restaurant food sales in the U.S. have risen from $42.8 billion in 1970 to an estimated $520 billion in 2010.  I guess that may mean people are getting even farther away from knowing where their food comes from.  An image from Barbara Kingsolver's Animal, Vegetable, Miracle comes to mind -- the boy who had no idea the orange carrot he ate was a root that grew underground.

What is this?

Queen Anne's Lace?  No.  It's a carrot, in its second year, producing seeds for next year.

What is this?

Here's another hint.

Yes, it's a blooming artichoke, dagnabit.

Here's something more common.

Whole wheat.

Our biggest volunteer stretches sunward.

"I'd bet you're pretty excited about something that's ready to pick," says Virginia.  "Happy Mother's Day!"

"It's also Son's Day," I say.  Both were born on June 18.