A Gardener’s Journey Along the Danube: Discovering Garden Culture in Eastern Europe
Dearest garden friends, I’m writing to you from Romania. My husband and I have been traveling down the Danube River from west to east, starting in Vienna and ending in Constanta with add ons to Venice, Zagreb and Bucharest. There is, perhaps, no better way to learn how cultures developed than to travel and learn the history in place. During the communist period, small rural farms were taken from private ownership to become part of the state in Eastern European countries. Many farmers left their rural homes for factory jobs in the cities. The small farms became massive fields that now produce wheat, other grains, sugar beets, grapes and oil producing plants. These farms are now privately run but remain large. The result seen today are many unoccupied rural homes.
I’m fascinated to learn what the few remaining residents grow in their gardens. As we walk in little villages, we get a chance to talk the language of gardening with fellow plant enthusiasts. Although young people speak English, older folks learned Russian so we rely on smiles and gestures to “talk”. In Donji Milanovac, Serbia, we walked up the steep street, away from the Danube. An older gentleman motioned for us to turn around, not to leave the area, but to enjoy the view. His small yard was shaded by grape vines, loaded with fruit. I told him how beautiful his crop was and he cheerfully plucked two bunches of grapes for us. “No chemicals”, said our new friend. What a juicy, sweet treat!
At a market in Zagreb, Croatia, a proud vendor loaded us with dried figs. We couldn’t hold them all! Farmers are proud to share their bounty. This is a common language we growers hold.
We also learn new ways of working with familiar produce. This is cabbage season and the fresh markets are piled high with various shapes of cabbage. Our local guide in Novi Sad, Serbia surprises me when she describes making sauerkraut. For decades, I’ve been happily slicing cabbage, mixing with the right ratio of salt and letting it cure in its brine for a few weeks until the sour flavor is just right. Here the custom is to brine full heads of cabbage and slice as needed for salads and as an ingredient in recipes. Every country we visit has its own version of stuffed cabbage rolls.
The learning is endless but our time away is not. We’ll be home soon and grateful for where and how we live. But also grateful for our local guides who share knowledge so willingly.
