Last weekend, I harvested a metal dishpan full of radishes, followed by a bowl of fresh greens. I quickly sketched them with a new set of pastels that arrived via Amazon—but then something was missing: a third image. So, I sketched some cherry tomatoes on my iPhone from last summer’s harvest.
I’ve named this triptych pastel “Homage to the Humble Vegetable.” (It’s now on my bucket list to make these into large paintings on canvas using luscious, buttery oil pigments.)
Vegetables are God’s natural medicine cabinet.
For instance, radishes and leafy greens prevent plaque buildup in our arteries and vessels. Supposedly, they can even kill cancer cells and remove wastes from our bodies.
Tomatoes lower our LDL (the bad cholesterol)—and also lower high blood pressures. Not to mention they reduce skin damage due to sun exposure.
I start many of my vegetables in the house from packages of seeds every early April. (Radishes, carrots, onions, and leafy greens seeds are directly sown into the ground in mid April.)
One of my favorite pastimes in the dead of winter is perusing the gardening supplies at my local Rural King store. They put their seeds out in January—perhaps they know gardeners are starting to dream about their gardens while the wind chills are bitter cold. The store manager most likely realizes the customers are desperately seeking gardening therapy after the holidays.
Gardening dramatically boosts mental health by lowering the body’s primary stress hormone cortisol.
It also increases mood-enhancing hormones such as serotonin and dopamine—and lowers high blood pressures.
Basically, vegetables are good for one’s health; not just eating them. . .but also growing them!
Cheers to the humble vegetable!
Emily Boller, wife, mother, artist, and author is on a mission to create expressive works of art in her lifetime; and to bring awareness to the potentially harmful traps of diet-wellness culture. In her free time, she loves to chase sunrises, grow flowers and vegetables, and can homemade soups.