As a little boy, I never dreamed I’d be picking vegetables out of a garden covered with shimmering, powdery snow. But beneath this bitter cold snow, greens abound. Cabbages, kales, and other hearty greens stay fresh under a blanket of snow.

It only takes a few minutes to fill a basket with enough greens for a hearty, winter lunch.

On the way back to the kitchen, it’s impossible to ignore the beauty of grass frozen in a river of glassy ice, or the snow crystals on black ice. You don’t see such beauty in the aisles of a supermarket. Unexpected beauty is the reward for growing your own vegetables, that and not having to go through a checkout and bagging your produce, and not worrying about anyone yelling at you if you nibble the produce as you pick them.

A few days ago, I read an article at NPR’s website titled Staying Fit Isn’t a New Year’s Resolution for These Hunter-Gatherers. It was about the Hadza, a group of hunter-gatherers in Northern Tanzania. They spend most of their time active outdoors, and this comment struck me:

A Hadza kid has never spent a day inside because there is no inside.

Wow, imagine a life where you are never indoors.