Write on, Veggies

Like many kids, you were probably reluctant to eat your broccoli when Mom told you to. But now you’re probably glad she did, given how healthy broccoli is. You can thank her with Claudia Pardo’s vivid Hey Bro’ vegetable-themed notecards.

Pardo’s new series of veggie cards came together after she participated in an “Evening with Plants” vegetarian dinner hosted by Slow Food Ventura County, a nonprofit organization that connects people around the local good-food movement and raises awareness of how food gets from farm to plate.

As the mother of two children, she’s always been interested in making sure her kids appreciate that Ventura County is an important source of their food.

It’s about “raising children where there’s so much agriculture, knowing there are people working the land for them, and how my consumption impacts the wages and the way they’re treated,” she says. “And just being part of the cycle in a cleaner, healthier way. I want to be conscious of their impact on their environment and on the lives of others—in this case through their conscious selection and consumption of food.”

Pardo set out on a mission to create what she calls “food for the soul.” Already having success with her Everyday Buddha line of illustrations for stationery and affirmation cards on Instagram and Etsy, the veggie-themed cards are a whimsical way to showcase her lively drawings of fresh produce accompanied by her love of puns. Pardo is constantly thinking of new puns and admits to getting a little help from her kids to make sure she’s using current slang.

The cards are suitable for stationery or for framing as wall art. One features a wheelbarrow full of fresh produce with “Romaine calm and carry on,” and another has a bold radish with the phrase “You are rad.” There’s also a line of cards featuring kids with vegetables. A portion of the cards’ sales proceeds will be donated to Slow Food Ventura County.

Visit Everyday Buddha on Etsy or Instagram. Email Pardo at Everydaybuddha@yahoo.com.