Growing Herbs (No, not that kind)

The first time I saw an Aerogarden, I was overcome by a wave of confusion, intrigue, and adoration. This futuristic, incubator-esque contraption was an enigma. How did it work? Where was the soil? What would grow? 

I needed one immediately and went deep down the rabbit hole researching the little nuggets: sleek, simple, and impressively hands off. When my sweet mom asked me for the one thing I wanted for Christmas, there was no question.

What I opened up on Christmas wasn’t an Aerogarden, but it was a similar idea, and I fell in love with it too :) First, because she had put so much thought into this gift and had driven all around town searching for the perfect one, and second, because my interactions with this set up are more personal. Unlike the Aerogarden, my little garden takes soil, seeds, and weekly watering. It requires my attention and affection, and thus, introduces a new and refreshing ritual into my life.

It took my time to iron out the details of this new ritual. I set the system up wrong initially. My poor plants tried! I read the instructions again, and reconfigured the set up. They thanked me! I watched them grow toward the light, reaching up with their little arms like a morning stretch. I watered them every Saturday. I checked on them every morning. Eventually, I began snipping a leaf here and there and adding it to a scramble or a juice. I give them life, they give me life. We’ve built a symbiotic give & take relationship my plants and me, rooted in sunlight and love, and ritual.