There are many sayings about farming culture. For instance, "The farmer’s wealth lies in its arms and whoever wants some has to get them" is said when referring to the effort required by farm life. We usually think of men for this role, but in its household dimension, agriculture has been almost exclusively a female task. The garden was taken care of by women and sometimes by children: the vegetable garden was fundamental to fill the belly of the entire family, but it was also a place to educate children and put their creativity into practice. For example, aromatic plants such as rosemary, thyme and marjoram were always placed around the fences, partly because of the aesthetic pleasantness of evergreens and also a bit to better define the boundaries with their woody stems. Creativity and order are still essential elements when taking care of vegetable gardens: have you ever noticed that some of them are as beautiful as gardens?
The intelligence of nature assumes a new form here: a drawing. The hand, as you can see, is man’s: it springs from the desire to bring home a piece of that natural intelligence. That was the start of the vegetable patch, which has always been of primary importance to the families who live in the mountains: a summer‘s work for the winter’s food...