Happy Thanksgiving

I'm not sure where the time has gone but it's long past the end of summer and we're deep into fall.

The leaves have begun to turn, the apples are ripe and there's a chill in the air.

I spent some time thinking about Thanksgiving this weekend and what it means to me.  I thought about it while I sat in the orchard munching on fallen apples.

I thought about it some more while I worked in the kitchen to make salsa and tomato soup.

I thought about it as I pulled carrots and parsnips out of the ground for our Thanksgiving dinner.

I grew some pretty stunted parsnips this year

I thought some more while I placed bags of apples in the freezer next to containers of homemade pesto and soup.  Then again while I cleaned onions for storage.

What I realized is that I spent my whole Thanksgiving weekend gathering, preparing and storing food from my garden.  And that realization was pretty darn nice.  It's no coincidence that Thanksgiving falls at the time of year when harvests are being brought indoors.  It's a time when food is suddenly so plentiful that you can literally see your freezer go from empty to full in the space of one month.  Knowing that we have food for the winter and that it came to us through an enjoyable chore like gardening is pretty special indeed.  There are times when gardening can be tiring and endless but it can also be therapeutic and incredibly rewarding.  This is one of those days where I'm remembering the rewarding bit.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone.  I hope you had a wonderful holiday and enjoyed many rewards from your garden.