Little Miss and Mini Mister are lucky enough to have a set of paternal great-grandparents who live nearby. Last Saturday we traveled only an hour to visit with them at the church retirement home where they reside. We were happy to celebrate Father’s Day with their great-grandfather and visit their organic garden.

These great-grandparents are my husband’s father’s parents. To have four generations of sons, three first-born, in one room is something quite proud to see.  My husband’s grandfather immigrated to the United States 27 years ago. His grandmother and four uncles immigrated 3 years later. Today, my husband’s father, his grandparents, and 5 uncles and their families all live in the Washington, DC area. His two aunts and their families live still in Korea. The families who live in the US all get a share in haraboji’s organic farm. A family CSA of sorts.

Chung cho haraboji (great-grandfather in Korean) has been gardening for a long time. He commands his own double plot and is considered an accomplished grower. This year he grows cucumbers, squash, chives, lettuce, greens, and peppers.

Chung cho halmony left the father’s day luncheon to go down to the garden to pick. She left quickly without telling the rest of the grandchildren to come because the sun was so hot that day. But when the grandchildren realized she had gone out, everyone scrambled to put on shoes and head out to the fields.

We caught up to her yelling her name. She was in a shady spot with other halmonies who were sorting chives to bundle and sell at Sunday church to make money.

With a big smile on her face, she took out her key and opened the gate to her garden to let us have a look around. I was amazed that everything had been pitched, dug, fertilized, and irrigated by hand.

chicken wire to keep out pests…

a hand-lashed lattice for the squash plants to climb…

rain water to irrigate the plants…

a baby hot pepper…very hot I am warned…

and sticks lashed to vertical supports for the cucumber plants. I imagined Chung Cho Halaboji’s garden in Korea 30 years ago to look like this one.

Little Miss and Mini Mister were amazed that food grew out of the dirt and Little Miss wanted to get down and play in the dust.

We decided to head back before we got sun burned.

Halmony divided what she had among the three families who came to visit. Sesame leaves, cucumbers, lettuce and Korean pepper all stuffed in a plastic bag to come home. I watched her expert hands as they portioned.

I do hope I am able to organic garden when I am 83 years old.