Chef Beth's Gardens
I'm not sure just how meaningful life would be without gardens, and all that they bring to our lives. A full stomach is the last thing that comes to my mind when I think of gardens. The warmth of the soil, the fragrance of flowering, soon to be bursting with flavor fruits, the black humus provided by the earthworms.
These are some pics from my garden. Although I miss it already, my basement is filled with it's offspring. We'll enjoy them all winter.
A young buttercup squash
A solitary melon enjoying life in the shade
Just unearthed Yukon Gold
Tender rainbow chard
Turning this.....
Into this....
Heirloom tomatoes ~ many sizes, colors, and flavors
Traditional milpa garden, corn, beans, and squash....
part of which becomes this
Luscious cherry tomatoes snuggling for warmth
This fall, as I was harvesting and cleaning seed for next year's plantings, it suddenly dawned on me, an epiphany of sorts. All of this time, year after year of heirloom seed saving, I thought that I was saving seed, when in reality, they've been saving me.
"I used to visit and revisit it a dozen times a day, and stand in deep contemplation over my vegetable progeny with a love that nobody could share or conceive of who had never taken part in the process of creation. It was one of the most bewitching sights in the world to observe a hill of beans thrusting aside the soil, or a rose of early peas just peeping forth sufficiently to trace a line of delicate green."
--Nathaniel Hawthorne
Sweet guardians of the sweet potatoes
A winter's day project....Beth turning a piece of leftover plywood
into truck sidewalls
I love to share the bounty, the flavors, the nuances of my soil. If you could sneak up on me in my garden, you'd see that I have a smile on my face. I like to think the same could be said about you in your dining room, while savoring my garden treats prepared especially for you.
'Cause at end of the day,
when chores they be done,
words all have been said,
thoughts too they be gone....
THERE'S ALWAYS PIE!
Thanks for visiting my garden! I hope I can share it's flavors and textures with you in the future!
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