Twenty Eighteen Garden

This year’s garden is getting off to a slow start.  A veeeeerrrryyy slow start.  sigh.

It’s the middle of June and the rows in our garden are just beginning to fill out and actually look like a garden and not just a patch of dirt in the yard.

We have been attending our local Farmer’s Market for over a month now and we have nothing to offer except eggs, jams & jellies and various handmade goods I’ve made over the years and haven’t sold yet.  To fill out our table and attract some customers CountryBoy has started making from-scratch Cinnamon Buns.  And, let me tell ya… he has perfected the recipe and boy-oh-boy are they yummy!

A few of the other vendors have started to pick some things from their gardens for the market but it’s been slim-pickins so far for everyone.  We’re all hoping to be able to offer more produce for the customers that stop by the market in the next couple of weeks.

I plan on putting up (or canning) enough of our yield to get us through the winter and the rest we will take to the market to sell.

What’s in the garden this year?  Red and white onions, sunflowers, lima beans, pinto beans, green beans, green peppers, sweet banana peppers, jalapeños, beets, okra, yellow squash, potatoes, brussels sprouts, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, and basil.  The asparagus has already been harvested and eaten!

So far, it appears the garden may be successful again this year but it’s still early so we can only hope and pray that it continues to grow and do well and, that the coons, bunnies and deer don’t get it before we do!

That statement makes me stop and think about our ancestors who lived before grocery stores were common.  (Although, sadly, the majority of items that are within modern grocery stores really is not food.  I could definitely get on a soapbox right now but I won’t.  I will simply leave you with the thought that if there is a list of ingredients then, more than likely, it’s not really food.  Real food will not have a list of ingredients.  If an item does have a list of ingredients then, more than likely, it has been processed in some fashion where much of the nutrients have been taken away leaving a by-product, or non-food, which becomes a foreign matter when ingested leaving our bodies the job of trying to eliminate it.  Our bodies were designed to eliminate foreign matter but it can only eliminate so much and in today’s preservative and chemical-filled ‘everything’ the foreign matter adds up quickly.  (This includes the chemicals we put ON our bodies as well.  Remember your skin is the largest organ in your body so whatever you put on it gets absorbed into your system.)  What happens to the foreign matter that remains in our bodies?  The result is various chronic illnesses depending upon the individuals genetic makeup.  OK, stepping off the soapbox now but, please, my friends, be aware of what you are eating.  Do your own research for your bodies sake.  And a quick rule-of-thumb to keep it simple if this is all new to you – if you can’t pronounce it you probably shouldn’t eat it or wear it!)  Anyhoo, gardens were seen at every home and were necessary in order to survive.  If one’s garden did not do well that year then food for the family would be limited and possibly even scarce.  Realizing that makes me very grateful that I have the option to shop for produce year-round at the grocery store or a produce stand if our garden does not do well.  Gone are the days of a family going hungry because their garden does not do well, thank goodness!  Now, I do realize there are hungry families today due to various reasons and we should all do our part to see they have something to eat whether it’s taking them a meal or two, giving them a gift card to a grocery store or maybe even teaching them how to start a garden of their own, even if it’s a few vegetable plants in containers.  Love thy neighbor as thyself and help one another.

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The past week I’ve enjoyed the Tiger Lily’s showing off their vibrant orange colors…

Today I even brought a few in the house to enjoy.

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If you’re wondering how the baby boys are doing they are doing great!  Here they are enjoying some front porch time with us and meeting the big boys.

And after a bout of roughhousing and play time, here they are taking an afternoon nap in LizzieBelle’s bed…

They could care less that it’s pink.  Sweet silly boys!