Our Garden. It is once again a little better than the year before, but not free of mistakes.  We grow food and we learn. We learn that only one squash plant is necessary for a family of two.  Our single black beauty zucchini squash plant has taken over by force.  I think it literally ate my artichoke plant, because now it is nowhere to be found.  And the harvest never ends, we’ve had zucchini for what seems like months.   I do remember it being my strongest little seedling but geez!  We are learning ways to hide zucchini into dishes and baked goods, and we are sharing recipes with friends.

And then there are the leafy greens.  We learned they need more space.  They were planted too closely together this year, and still made it, but you can just tell they should be better. Bigger and stronger.  I’ve seen a kale plant with a stalk as thick as my arm and as tall as a toddler.  Ours are not.  But we’ve learned.

We also should have eaten more mustard greens and kale, but maybe we’ll have a second chance in the fall.  The bright lights swiss chard is still vibrant and growing strong, and for what I thought was a cool weather plant, it is showing such endurance  even through this heat.  There is a particular bug that likes to chomp at it though…we better eat up.

And it’s not over yet.  Now we wait.  Tomato season is ever so steadily approaching.  We check our plants morning and night to pluck a ripe little yellow cherry tomato here, an orange one there.  We slice them thinly and savor each bite for now, but in a few weeks (I’m eagerly awaiting) the moment when we realize we are drowning in tomatoes from our 16 plants.  I’ll “complain” that I have to can them, and find friends to come over to take some off our hands, and eat tomatoes morning, noon and night.  It will be the best part of the summer yet.

Each tomato will be a celebration of another year of gardening.