The first gathering of the garden
in May of salads, radishes and herbs made me feel like a
mother about her baby - how could anything so beautiful
be mine. And this emotion of wonder filled me for each vegetable
as it was gathered every year. There is nothing that is
comparable to it, as satisfactory or as thrilling, as gathering
the vegetables one has grown.
Alice B. Toklas, 1954
Questions and activities
(1) What does the writer mean when she says she felt like a mother
about her baby?
(2) Write a few sentences describing how the writer feels about
growing her own vegetables.
(3) Imagine that you are watching the writer at work in her garden.
Describe what you can see.
(4) Design an illustration to go with this writing.
