My Garden

Aaahhh...my garden.  I love my garden.  Even more this year than normal because I'm fully invested in making the most out of everything I can grow.  I put up food every year by drying or freezing things but this year I'm adding canning to the list of ways to preserve the bounty.  I want to make my own pickles, salsa and dilly beans (just like Shannon's)...not to mention tomato sauce, canned tomatoes, relishes, applesauce, pie filling, etc. etc. etc.

Please note my extremely stylish scarecrow...made out of old Levis (too small unfortunately) and a Tommy Hilfiger shirt that I was giving away to Goodwill.  Best dressed thing on our farm...


I began planning the garden in March and started all my plants from seeds I ordered from Territorial Seed Company...awesome!  It smelled like a greenhouse in my kitchen for about 2 months...not awesome.  But we put up with it knowing that the end result would be worth the extra can of febreeze.

I want to start saving my own seeds as well so I chose seeds that came from only open-pollinated or heirloom plants so they will reproduce correctly.  Wonderful varieties with names like Indigo Rose tomatoes and Burgundy beans and Country Gentleman corn.  Yummy!

I've been diligently trying to keep the weeds at bay...weeding by hand and using a hoe.  No, not a Kardashian, just the garden implement.  It's time consuming but I enjoy it because my hands get dirty and my mind gets clear.  I like that I am being active and proactive all at once.  My physical labor will help us eat better later this season and for the whole year to come.  Plus, because its such simple work, my mind has time to run.  And run it does....it runs through my to-do lists (yes, lists plural), work stuff, house chores and the projects I have to finish.  And, if I work long enough my mind will get clear of all those things and actually get to that place where my creativity gets buried.  And that's when I come up with some of my best ideas.  And all because of dirty hands.

Tonight we got the first spoils from my hard work:  a mix of heirloom lettuce, spinach and arugula.  Wa-freakin-hoo!  Oh, and the first of our strawberries too.

So, here's to a bountiful garden, healthy eating, stocked cupboards, dirty hands and creative minds!