Kaisin is a Japanese term that I learned not in Tokyo but in Vermont. It means to take very small steps toward a goal. The theory is that most of the time, we try to take giant steps, make giant changes. When we do that, we upset that part of ourselves devoted to status quo. There is a startle reflex in all of us that becomes alert and anxious when we hit it with the big change. Kaisin is an end run around this reflex.It is an appreciation of the small change.
Last year I went into okra in a big way. I sent off to Seed Savers in Iowa,the great mother ship of all seed companies. I ordered okra seeds which were listed as Black Belt of Alabama,heirloom okra. I planted, mulched, watered, danced, fertilized and imagined the many pots of steaming gumbo I would enjoy.
I got two pods.
This year I planted six organic okra seeds and I got two pods, then two more, then two more. Not enough for a huge pot but enough to slice into a baggie and freeze two pods at a time. When the baggie filled, I made the gumbo. It was even better than I dreamed it would be.
A few pods, a few plants, a tiny harvest. Still, each bite keeps me mindful of the miracle that plants use sunlight to produce food. They can. We can't.
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