Rhythm of the Seasons
August 1, 2011
No this is not a Sam Adams commercial…though I do like the philosophy of the breweries with seasonal beers (ones that are truly seasonal and have beers that are simply not available out of season). My husband and I are avid gardeners and anyone who has had a vegetable garden knows that this is the time of year that the real harvests begin. Zucchini, tomatoes, cucumbers, corn, onion, you name it – it is probably coming ready soon. What this also means for the avid gardener is that you have much more fresh veggies ready that you could possibly eat right now. Some people like to simply give away their crop, I have to admit I’m actually rather selfish with my produce. It is this time of year that I spend hours canning and freezing the veggies that my little family will eat through the rest of the year.
Currently I have canned several quarts of peaches, frozen many cups of shredded zucchini, and just completed 5 quarts of dill pickles. This is just the beginning. Later this week I will be canning tomatoes (not sure yet if simply canned tomatoes or if I will make salsa), and freezing corn. So my rhythm during this time of year is focused on food. Honestly, it’s fun for a while…then it can become a bit of a pain. But the real satisfaction comes in mid January or February when we can still enjoy our own fresh tomatoes! Totally worth the time and energy that it takes to preserve your own food!
Soon enough our garden will be spent, we’ll tear out the old plants and put it to sleep. By that time we will be ready to be done with our garden for the year – it takes a lot of time and energy to weed, garden, tend, worry, etc. But sometime during the winter, Caleb and I will begin dreaming again about what we will plant, when we will start, what we need to do to prep the garden soil. Then spring will come and we’ll have the excitement of buying our plants and seeds and then planting everything and watching it grow and waiting for the fruit.