The Simple Satisfaction of a Garden

I just finished my lunch. I didn't go very far to get it either, just a short walk to the garden. The dogs and cats following me...they think they help a lot. I picked s good amount of Lima beans to shell. I pulled two Golden beets and then got some of the last lettuce. I tried planting lettuce in stages this year and it worked out well. It has been yielding tasty, tender leaves all summer and now into fall. I have a weird mix of Red Sails, Arugala, Black seeded Simpson and Tennis Ball. Add a bit id oil and vinegar dressing and it is so fresh and good. My lunch was simple and vegetarian. Beets, Beans and salad all right from the earth. It wasn't trucked in. It had no chemicals on it. It was not Genetically modified or enhanced. It was basic and unbelievably good!
Now the peels from the beets and shell husks from the beans and the trimming from the lettuce will find their way to the chickens for their treats. I eat the beet tops when they are young but now they go to the pigs who think they are similar to gourmet dining! It s very closed loop of  natural growing things.
I do find the most basic delights in having a garden. It starts in January with the arrival of seed catalogs. They become tattered and worn by the time I  make my selections. I use tried and true varieties but I also enjoy trying new things I have not seen before, they grow in my experimental garden behind the house. The tomato's and Pepper plants get started early in my south facing front window, a dash of new green in winter that cheers my day and makes me anticipate when I get to plant them. I watch my seed potatoes to see how they are doing and decide how they are storing. I make notes on various attributes plants I grow have and I of course take pictures of them.

 



 

I love the colors of things and this year I grew all sorts of potatoes. Adirondack Red [with red flesh] All Blue [with of course Blue Flesh] And various traditional red and white skinned "taters"! It was such fun. Tasty too! New potatoes cooked with fresh mint and then served hot with home made butter are hard to beat!

Now I am watching the weather and hoping it does not freeze soon though I know it will...the air has fall in it. But the daily trip to the garden with my entourage keeps summer alive a bit longer and is such a balm to ones spirit. If you don't have a garden you really should try a small one, it will delight you with its bounty and make you wonder about commercial food and how it tastes. Now I am going to feed the scraps to the chickens and gather eggs...

Happy gardening all!