How Does My Mom Know What She Knows?

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Saturday December 29, 2012 · 8:56 AM PST

2012/12/29 · 08:56

I was listening to the garden guy on the car radio and he was answering questions about composting. A caller was worried that adding shrimp shells to her compost had been a very bad decision and she wanted to know what she could do.
Garden Guy loves talking about compost. He told her not to worry, the nitrogen in the shrimp shells was an excellent addition to her compost. He also said that the next best thing was adding coffee grounds. Which my Mom has been doing I don’t know how long.
And since I’ve seen Mom do it, I’ve been doing it too. How did Mom know to do this?
It’s true she grew up on a farm, but she was taken from her family by the Nazis when she was 15 years old. She was sent to work on a family farm in Germany. Is that where she picked up this practice? I’m sure coffee was scarce in Ukraine and in Germany.
On our last trip to visit family in Ukraine, Bob and I brought a French mill, cause we need good coffee to start our day. The rest of the time I drank tea, Sanka being not to my taste.
I’ve often wondered about Mom’s memory. She only had those first fifteen years in her village, and yet the memories are indelible. She remembers all the traditions, the church, the school, her friends, everything.
I think the time Mom and Dad spent in the displacement camp in Germany were an extension of their lives in Ukraine. Their camp was all Ukrainians, with schools, sports teams, choirs, and churches—Catholic and Orthodox. It seemed to be one large Ukrainian village.
I guess I’m going to have to ask her…how did she learn coffee grounds are good for plants and compost?

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