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.
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| I grew some pretty stunted parsnips this year |
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.
28 comments:
Happy Thanksgiving to you! You are so right about having the best of the best right there in your freezer. Something to be thankful for for sure.
Hooray for that! Your penultimate paragraph perfectly explains the reasons to garden. Happy thanksgiving!
Oh what a lovely post. You are so right. The garden is therapy in more ways than one. Your harvest is much to be thankful for.
Nice! Happy thanksgiving to you, Marguerite!
Very nice haul Marguerite! I didn't know you could freeze bags of apples,do you cut them up or freeze them whole?
Thanks Lisa. there's nothing quite like home grown is there?
Thanks Sarah. Sometimes it's good to reevaluate what we're doing I think. I was having a hard time this weekend reconciling if I was exhausted from all the work or happy for it.
Thanks Brenda. The garden has certainly been my refuge these past couple years. The harvest is just the icing on top I think.
Thanks Kim! Happy thanksgiving to you too!
Thanks Jane. We slice them up so I can just dump them into desserts or whatever I'm making later (they're also great in stuffing!). We have a vacuum sealer which keeps them good for ages. Love that thing.
Marguerite girl ! What a wonderful tribute to Thanksgiving and what an amazing bounty you have from your garden .. funny parsnips and all!LOL
I some times feel guilty that I don't grow veggies .. but knowing I have a hard time just keeping up with what I have smacks me back to reality?haha ...It is raining here ... just when they started the new fence. My luck with projects is something else .. BIG sigh ! But I know it will get done eventually ?
Love the pictures of the bounty and of the fallen leaves in the woods . I can almost hear the rustle of them when the wind blows : )
Fingers crossed winter won't be so mean to us this time ? LOL
Joy : )
Love these amazing photos. I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving and I hope you had an extra slice of pie for me!!
Beautiful post.
Your carrots are amazing. :-)
Best wishes,
Carla
Happy Thanksgiving, sounds as if you have enjoyed a bumper harvest!
Joy, I have the opposite problem. I envy your flowers and wish I had more time to spend just making things pretty! I appreciate your photos as a compromise. That fence sounds like it's causing a bit of trouble. Will be worth all the effort when it's done though, just hang tight.
thanks Keith! would you believe I never got around to making pie?!?! I keep meaning to but so many other chores get in the way. This week for sure. A dozen apple pies on the way.
thanks Carla. Every year one crop seems to outdo all the others and carrots were the one this year. LOTS of carrots and all in excellent condition. I love carrots so I'm a happy girl these days.
we really have :) Still more coming in the door every day. Seems every year I forget just how much work harvest time is. But it sure does feel good to see all that bounty.
All the best Marguerite, glad your harvest is or has gone so well. I had to pull my garden a little early as we started our road trip this year earlier. We are on our adventure across Canada, come have a look. Oh there is nothing like the fresh smell of carrots right out of the garden
It looks like you have had a pretty good year in the garden and have a lot to be thankful for.
Your bountiful harvest exemplifies Thanksgiving, Marguerite. I think it is very appropriate that the celebration is held in October in your part of the world (November in US.) Gardeners have so much to be thankful for. P. x
Happy Thanksgiving to you, Marguerite! You have indeed had a bountiful harvest.
wonderful post, marguerite! i felt like i was right there with you gathering and appreciating. i also felt my lost connection to mother nature, and the bounty she provides...the most simple and essential things.
being right in the city i'm so used to 'convenience', but at what cost? it can be isolating and empty at times. your words have helped me remember what truly matters. thank you and lots of love, aleya
A very evocative post, thank you. I agree with every fibre, that the connection with the soil and the circle of the seasons is what brings contentment, well being and connection. That plus family and good friends makes for a very fulfilling life.
catching up a week later, but the glow of enjoying your produce still shines!
Happy Thanksgiving to you, too! We have a month to go. Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. I second every fabulous word from Jane Hoehoegrow. She said it so well. :o)
A belated Happy Thanksgiving, Marguerite. Although I don't grow my own food, I love that feeling of gathering the harvest (in my case, from local farm markets) and storing up food for winter. -Jean
Hope you had a nice Thanksgiving Marguerite. It is hard to believe that we are at the end of another gardening season! It must be so rewarding to see your freezer is full and know that it is stocked with veggies and fruit you grew yourself.
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