This summer we made time to plant a vegetable garden in the backyard. It's something the children immediately wanted to help with, perhaps due to the eternal mystique of playing in the dirt, and we were happy to accomodate them. We haven't seen any veggies yet—we got a bit of a late start since we moved at the end of June—but the tomatoes, radishes, sunflowers, herbs, etc. are growing like crazy, even with the cool weather we've been having.
Coincidentally, last week our friends at Naxos USA sent us a review copy of a new CD titled Growing Veggie Soup(Big Round Records, $13.98), part of Recess Music's Celebrate Earth music series. It's quickly become a favorite around the house, although I'm not sure if it's because of the veggie garden tie-in or the catchy tunes contained on the disk. Songs like Dirt Made My Lunch, The Zucchini Song, Farmer's Market, and Seeds for the Garden celebrate gardening, produce, and the Earth.
Songs are by various artists like the Banana Slug String Band, Dan Crow, and Recycleman & The Waste Band, and are mostly performed in folk-rock and roots-music styles. Growing Veggie Soup belongs to that small group of kids' albums that we really like where the music is equally appealing to children and adults.
You can order the Growing Veggie Soup CD online via Amazon, or purchase the MP3s from Naxos' ClassicsOnline download site (where you can also listen to samples of the songs).
