Thomas Jefferson born on April 13, in 1743, was not only President, writer of the Declaration of Independence, an inventor, musician and philosopher but also a farmer and naturalist. As the days grow longer and warmer (we hope!), it's good to remember Jefferson's words, "Determine never to be idle." He certainly never was. On his Monticello farm, Jefferson grew 170 varieties of vegetables, plants and flowers. He imported broccoli from Italy, grew Mexican peppers and English peas. In his Garden Book, he kept meticulous notes on when each variety was planted, when the first leaves appeared and which were the most flavorful. Jefferson said that he ate meat as "a condiment for the vegetables, which constitute my principle diet." Perhaps we should follow Jefferson's advice as well as that of a modern proponent of his philosophy, Michael Pollan whose now famous credo, "Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants," is part of every foodie's vocabulary.