say what?

i'm probably not the best person for this project. i don't help plants grow; i'm good at helping them pass gracefully from this life, though. it's not for lack of wanting to, but i have to admit it is for lack of trying. and yet, i'm determined to plant a garden. not just any garden -- a ratatouille garden.

what's that, you say? what's a ratatouille garden? well, ratatouille is a french provincial dish made from five vegetables: tomato, eggplant, zucchini, green pepper, and onion. plus a little basil, probably. and olive oil. and salt.

i don't actually know the particulars because, while i spent sixteen months living in france over a decade ago, and i literally went door to door asking for recipes for ratatouille, i have yet to make the dish to rival what i ate while i lived there. it was sheer heaven, i tell you.

but why blog about it? because while vegetables are growing, i'm going to have a lot of thoughts. and a lot of down time (i think) since vegetables take, according to my charts, forty to eighty days to mature. and my goal is to grow all of the vegetables for ratatouille such that they will ripen at the same time, at which time i will have finally found the perfect recipe.

can you imagine what my homemade ratatouille, made from vegetables i grew in my own garden, will taste like? yeah, i can't either. but if you stick with me, i'll let you know. and in the meantime, i might have a few thoughts to keep you amused while we wait.