Evidence for an Intervention?

No no no, this entry is not about that little problem.

No, it's not about that one either, though they often go hand and hand, especially if it's cold out and a warm blanket is handy.

Mmm, mini eggs.. OK, focus now. This is serious. I seem to have developed a little problem. It has come on insideously. First a purchase from a new vendor, then little hits here and there when I was tempted by a new thrill. Then eventually, whole baskets of starts and bulbs and roots.

Seeds. It's not just the ridiculous number of them, or the fact that I don't have space for half of these. I am buying seeds for things that no one in the family likes to eat or has ever tasted. Amarynth? For the love of all that's green why?

On closer examination of these purchases that I don't always recall making, I'm noticing a disturbing trend. I seem to be drawn to freaks. Rainbow beets, purple carrots, purple beans, two foot long beans, white tomatoes, bright red and lime green lettuces, purple tomatoes, white scallop squash, orange tomatoes, chocolate stripe tomatoes, purple potatoes, weird watermelon, cucumbers that look like lemons, cucumbers that look like dragon's eggs and yes, purple peppers.

While I lean towards heirloms and organic varieties, if the offer is weird enough, it usually find's it's way into my reuseable shopping bag. I make excuses that the bright colors will make the kids less whiney when I tell them to eat it. Or that maybe the chipmunks will be repulsed by the weirdness of my veggies and leave them alone. (Yeah right). Perhaps the bright colors will allow me to lay in the hammock and sight potential new harvests from across the yard! Thus saving...er something.

The reality is that I'm drawn to the unusual. Especially if the bizarre products are also alleged to be quite tasty. I'm not sure why. Maybe by growing weird stuff I have a built in excuse if they fail. Anyone can grow orange carrots, but carrots the color of a carnival are HARD! I think a more likely excuse though is one that goes back to my childhood. I like to play with my food. If I grow pretty vegetables, I can call this play, food artistry and no one will know the better.

Regardless, it has to stop. I've run out of people to give my extra's seeds away too and the lady at Sids has started looking at me skeptically. I think it was the Mimosa Nuttallii or maybe the inquiry about gas plant seeds. Gah. I need distraction until the weather turns. Hey, maybe a visit to the hosta forums! *Stacy mentally skips away gleefully*