Bountiful Garden

I love fresh produce. Even better is when it's locally grown, organic....and free!

A good friend of mine has been working very hard on her garden (which is extremely impressive), and now the cool weather crops are ready to harvest. So, she invited me over to gather some herbs and veggies. What a feeling of accomplishment it must be to see actual plants and FOOD coming up from the ground where once there was only dirt and tiny seeds.

Today I came home with lettuce, mustard greens, chives, green onions, something that smells like cilantro but is more wispy (ideas anyone?), fancy french radishes, and a garlic bulb to put into the ground at my house.

Technically, it's not free....she paid for the seeds and fertilizer, etc. She also paid for these crops with her blood, sweat and tears. But for those who love to be outside and work in the earth, it's a small price to pay. And being able to share our bounty with friends makes it even sweeter! For my part, I will share my homemade jam and sugar scrub (and a couple tall nonfat caramel machiatos) in exchange for the ability to image, even for a few minutes while I feel the warm sun on my face, that I was the one who toiled away in the garden to produce such an impressive harvest. I'm certainly looking forward to later this summer when the potatoes, tomatoes and corn is ready!

Aside from the single garlic bulb in my side-driveway plot of garden (and I use the term garden very, very loosely), I have a small patch of strawberry plants (either the deer or the rabbits keep eating the flowers before they can mature). I also have one of those upside-down tomato planters on my deck that I'll fill with tomato starts with basil on top. For a garden novice, it's a start.

Are you making a garden this summer? I'd love to hear about it in the comment section!