Continuing down the memory lane of my childhood travels this month,  I’m reflecting on the diverse cultures that I experienced growing up and how they seem to be popping up in my garden. 

Of all the places we lived, my favorite was Okinawa. 

We moved there right before I turned five years old and left before I was eight.  A short stint, but the narrow Japanese island with its subtropical climate, beaches and kind, generous people made a lasting impression. Only 66 miles long and 7 miles wide, the island is a Pacific paradise of beautiful blue waters and coral reefs.  The northern part of the island is a subtropical rainforest while the southern part is hilly with limestone caves.

Okinawa has been a strategic US military location since World War II and has 32 military installations, which explains why we were there.  But all I cared about was the profound effect Okinawa had on me with its exotic beauty and people steeped in cultural heritage.

Known for their longevity, Okinawans live longer than most other populations due in part to their healthy diet, low-stress lifestyles, and spiritual and community connection.

We lived “off base” when we first arrived. The small cinder block homes housed American and a few Okinawan families. Most days were spent outside with all the neighborhood kids playing “Army”. You could see the ocean out in the distance, the traditional fishing boats bobbing in the waves. There was a sugar cane field nearby that we’d sneak into and break off a piece of the cane to chew on – that’s the first time I’ve admitted that because I would’ve been in so much trouble had my parents found out. We explored and discovered all day long in this kid’s paradise.

There were tombs amongst the grassy hills behind our houses where the remains of generations lay in rest together. Local people held annual picnics to clean up the tombs and honor their ancestors, who they believe keep constant watch over them. 

During the annual Shimi festival, food and drink were offered and they would burn ceremonial paper money for their ancestors to use in the coming year. These were happy, celebratory, family affairs.

One year, the dry habu grass in the fields surrounding the tombs caught fire and the celebrators came racing into our houses seeking water to extinguish the fire. My father and many neighbors helped gather water hoses and buckets to quickly douse the burning grass. The diverse group was united by the community spirit that prevails in Okinawa.

We experienced typhoons that started at Category 1, high winds; and advanced to the most dangerous, Category 5. During Category 5 we had to shutter the windows and doors and hunker down! Once, a Category 3 typhoon started rapidly building while we were at school and our school bus had to get us all home before it became a Category 5. The forceful winds nearly toppled our bus off the edge of a cliff on a washed-out dirt road.

Palms grew that had long fronds, and we’d pick up dried ones off the ground and pretend we could fly in the early stage typhoon winds.

There were also earthquakes and we’d stand outside and feel the rumble under our feet.

My dad was an avid amateur photographer and we would take long weekend drives around the island where he photographed the people and their traditions. The pictures of Okinawa featured in this post were all taken by my dad during our time there. 

There were numerous festivals, and people in colorful, traditional kimonos performed ceremonial dances. Street vendors would walk with giant tubs of flowers carried on their heads and ask “Mama-san want flowers?” and the fishermen would tie their nets in preparation for the next day’s work.

My fondest memory was of our housekeeper, Fumiko. It was common for the local ladies to earn extra money by offering domestic services like house-cleaning, laundry, and sewing. Fumiko worked for us and she was an older, kind, grandmotherly type. She loved us kids and was very keen to welcome us into her world. She taught us Okinawan phrases and songs. She asked my parents in her very sparse English if my sister and I could come to visit her home in her village. 

My parents took us the next weekend and she welcomed us into her home and showed us how her family lived. My six-year-old memory isn’t that sharp on the details, but there is a strong feeling of love and connection when I think of Fumiko and her family and all Okinawans.  My father has long passed on, but I’ve dug through his pictures to try to find one of Fumiko. I don’t think we have one, but there are pictures from her village.

And so, it’s with interest that I’ve found myself planting Asian vegetables this year.

Many Asian vegetables perform much better in the heat of Texas than traditional “American” plantings. American vegetable gardens are a conglomeration of plants from many countries. Some plants like corn, squash, and beans are native to North America, while others were typically brought from Europe.

A lot of the plants I was trying to grow are not well-adapted to my climate. For example, green beans. I always tried to grow the variety “Kentucky Wonder” that my grandparents preferred in Arkansas, but every year they’d succumb to the heat and get aphids and spider mites. They required a lot of maintenance for little yields. I was ready to give up, but could I find a replacement? I decided to experiment with diversifying my plantings.

That’s when I discovered Chinese long beans.  These beans perform wonderfully and have a similar taste to the classic “Kentucky Wonder” that falters in my garden. The beans are highly productive and as their name implies, one bean is 2-3 feet long!  In the kitchen, I just cut them to the size I want and use them exactly as I would the classic green bean. 

And celery? Impossible in Texas. But I discovered Chinese celery and grew it for the first time this year. Not the same as the grocery store celery with its wide trough, but fantastic flavor in cooking.

I’ve long had a problem growing cucumbers. The fruits wind up bitter and the plants get cucumber beetles and fungus on the leaves. This year, I’m growing a variety called Aonaga Jibai which hails from Japan.  This remarkable cucumber is sweet and resistant to fungus!  Results? So far, it’s spectacular, with outstanding yields and no pests!

I haven’t had success so far with the Okinawan bitter melon, because I was a little late getting it started.  But it’s still alive and I’m babying it along!  I’ll keep trying to perfect the timing though.  If it succeeds it will be well worth the effort because the Okinawan bitter melon has been identified as one of the key dietary staples contributing to the longevity of that population. I’m anxious to experience its exotic flavor and learn how to incorporate it into my food family.

Seeking diversity in your garden will help you discover new plants that may thrive in your area and add diversity to your diet.  Fresh produce from a variety of plants will provide you with vitamins, minerals and compounds that can’t be obtained from the grocery store.

Cultivating plants that thrive in your climate also helps reduce maintenance. 

Less maintenance = less pain.

Strengthen your garden, your body, and your mind with diversity.

Diversity brings you the best from every culture and is a recipe for success in the garden and in your life. Be adventurous. Try things from other ethnicities. 

I was fortunate to have parents willing to accept the adventure life offered them.  But you don’t have to leave your home to have your gardening adventure.  Explore new ways to garden and new varieties. Baker Heirloom Seeds has the largest selection of heritage seeds in the US. Sign up to receive their free catalog and let yourself be transported around the world in your own living room. Be open to new experiences for your vegetable and flower gardening and for the garden of yourself.

I am forever grateful to my mom and dad for their gift of adventure to me and my siblings! And to Fumiko, arigato gozaimasu, for making me a part of her family.  I honor them all by cultivating diversity in my garden!

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