Pickleball Magazine 6-2 WD | Page 64

health & nutrition

By Brandi Givens , RD

Pickleball Players Who Grow Food

There ’ s nothing more nutritious than gardenfresh vegetables . Just in time to inspire your own spring planting , I ’ ve interviewed some great pickleball players who grow food . You may be surprised by how each player connects the two activities in their own ways .

Pickleball Hall of Fame legend Enrique Ruiz , a . k . a . El Condor , enjoys gardening with his family in Oregon . Though the Ruiz family is modest about their green thumbs , close pickleball friends boast about their skills . Brandi : Why does your family garden ? Enrique : For us , gardening is fun and a good bonding opportunity . Our young son , Manu , loves to be in the garden with us . Last year we guided him through the entire process of growing corn for the first time — he learned how to plant , water , weed , and even clean the corn . Brandi : What else do you grow in your garden ?
Enrique : We don ’ t plant a big garden , just the more popular veggies . I do like to make my own salsa , so we always grow tomatoes and peppers . Sugar snap peas are a favorite pickleball snack that I enjoy eating during tournaments and recreational play , so we also grow those a lot .
Brandi : I struggle with gardening myself . Do you have any tips for me ?
Enrique Ruiz
Enrique : I plant things that grow well in my area . For example , sugar snap peas don ’ t seem to mind the extra moisture here in the Pacific Northwest , and I found that I can get two crops each year if I plant in spring and late summer . Mother Nature then provides most of the water that is needed . We are lucky enough to get plenty from the garden , so we share with pickleball friends .
Pro player Peter Hudachko , a . k . a . Warehouse King at Pickleball Central , lives on the Winney family ’ s ranch in Washington state , where Michael and Carri ( Cherish ) Winney have built a little slice of heaven . They have four pickleball courts , a rescued farm animal sanctuary , and a robust garden . At harvest time , no friends leave the farm without a bag of veggies . It ’ s heartwarming to watch how they all work together to keep the ranch running .
I asked each of them what they love most about gardening . Peter explains , “ The garden is a place where I can put on good music and just be at peace . We ’ re out there working together toward the same goal , which is a great feeling , but we ’ re all silent , taking time to be within our own minds .”
Carri agrees , “ Working in the garden is a place I can practice mindfulness . It ’ s very much like meditation or yoga . We also love sharing the garden with the kids who visit . The parents can play pickleball
Manu , son of Enrique Ruiz
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