Blessed

I am amazed at how well our garden has done this year, despite the few setbacks. The tomatoes have been ripening, and not only are they producing pretty decent amounts of tomatoes, but some are of an astonishing size as well. When I go to pick them, often they practically fall into my hand, and the taste makes me never want to eat a store-bought tomato again. It's like the difference between a meal of bread and water and a six-course feast. The tomatoes in the basket are from the Amish paste plants that I started from seed in my house back in February.



These are my three eggplants, and as you can see, the largest plant has produced an eggplant of enormous size for the heirloom variety called Rosa Bianca. It's bigger than any of the ones I've seen offered for sale at the farmers' market this year!






























The beans are tying for a new batch of flowers, for another producing run before fall frosts hit. The mammoth melting snow peas lasted late into the summer. We're getting cucumbers now--both lemon cukes and the little spacemasters, so I need to do some pickling while they're still in production. The volunteer kale seems to be going nuts as though to make up for what we lost earlier this summer. White carrots are maturing and look good, and I'm able to save seed from the radishes for next year. Just being out there with the plants, looking at all the food they're producing for my family makes me happy. Other than eating out, we've been living off local food all summer with very few non-local items on our table. We all seem to be in pretty good health, and even the kids now turn up their noses at the sickly pale big-box-grocery-store tomatoes. If asked my opinion on the local food experiment and getting more fully in tune with the planet, I'd have to say we've been blessed.