It’s not everyday that you learn to make raspberry jam alongside the retired captain of a nuclear submarine, listening to Captain Nemo-like stories of the dark and briny deep—but I did.  My chance came a couple of years ago, while on assignment for Delta Air Lines’ Sky Magazine.  My editor wanted a story that combined travel and education, and I found my subject in a catalog for the John C. Campbell Folk School in Brasstown, N.C.

The catalog was packed with classes on every kind of art and craft, from basketry to blacksmithing, metalwork to music, painting, woodcarving, quilting, and more.  Two courses that caught my eye were gardening and cooking.

I drove to Brasstown and spent a fantastic week living at this Danish-style folk school in a beautiful mountain setting.  The submarine captain was just one of many friendly people who also came for a relaxing yet educational vacation. 

We learned to preserve, or “put up,” mouth-watering, organically grown foods from the school’s garden.  We picked raspberries for fresh, thick jam and gathered tiny, sugary-sweet ”Matt’s Heirloom” tomatoes, along with green beans, cucumbers, squash, and peppers.  Our group worked together in a huge, well-stocked kitchen to preserve Meyer lemons; can Dilly beans; process spicy salsa; cook up chow-chow, and more–and we took our goodies home with us at the end of the week.

The not-for-profit folk school is a wonderful place to learn about both gardening and cooking, and if you’re looking for a gift for the person who has everything, a certificate for one of its courses is bound to be a winner.  You can find out more about the school at www.folkschool.org

But what if you or your friend-who-has-everything can’t spare a week or even a long weekend?  Problem solved.  Come to the 2009 Southeastern Flower Show for a day, or for several days, when it opens next Jan. 28.

You may not sit beside someone who regales you with tales of the deep, but you’ll hear from floral designers from across the country; great chefs and popular authors; brilliant designers and experienced landscapers.  And when you’re sitting in the audience for a lecture or demo, take a look around, and consider chatting up your seat-mate.  Who knows who you might meet?

cheers,

Lynn

www.LynnCoulter.com

Remember that Oscar-winning movie from 1987 called Wall Street?  Michael Douglas played an absolutely snarky, loathsome character who believed that money was everything.  His mantra was, “Greed is good.”

His motto was slightly off, of course.  As every gardener knows, “GREEN is good.”  

In fact, green is good no matter how old you are.  Did you spot the story in yesterday’s paper (the Atlanta Journal-Constitution) about the lively seniors who reside in Decatur Christian Towers?  Five years ago, a few of them came down from their 14-story living facility and decided to grow some vegetables on a nearby patch of land. 

Today, the seniors’ garden has blossomed into some 21 rows of veggies and flowers, each one enthusiastically hoed, weeded, and harvested by men and women who have passed 70, 75, and even 80 years of age.  They raise tomatoes and peppers, beets and turnips, collards and peas, and much more.  Some of them tend indoor plants by sunny windows; others fill their freezers with home-grown okra, beans, and squash.

Since gardening provides plenty of exercise in the sun and fresh air, these delightful elder-gardeners also reap good health.  They plant seeds of friendship, too, as they work together, and their hobby keeps their minds active as they plan ahead for each new growing season. 

Starting Jan. 28, 2009, the 22nd Annual Southeastern Flower Show will blossom (that is, open its doors) to senior gardeners, kids, master gardeners, landscapers, hobbyists, and even beginners whose thumbs are barely green.

A doff of our straw gardening hats to you, seniors.  Long may your garden flourish.  You’ve discovered the not-so-secret secret:  green is good!