I think I am genetically programmed to grow things.

My mother often speaks of one of her uncles, Corley I think it was, that lived with her and her mother for a while when she was little. Apparently Corley was quite a gardener. We must be related.

Andrew and my dad did all of the vetting on the houses that were on our short list when we were house hunting. I was in a ginormous awful work schedule at the time and only got to see this place about two days before we signed the papers on it. Knowing, of course, that the Official Inspector and my father had both given their blessing on the place I was predisposed to like it. However the garden sold it for me.

I am by no means done with my fall harvest. But I have five gallons of grape juice in the freezer and another two gallon bag of frozen whole grapes. I have three two gallon bags of loganberries yet to process. Yesterday I made two and a half gallons of ginger rhubarb preserves and I’ve got another gallon bag of rhubarb in the freezer. We have onions, and what must be near to 100 pounds of potatoes. Squash and pumpkins are going strong. Beets, carrots, and radishes are still cooking. Oh, and broccoli! I tried my hand at a fall crop of broccoli. And if I can keep the bunnies from nomming my poor little plants down to nubbins I might just be able to harvest some this fall. I’ve got two patches of lettuce and a planter full of cucumbers. I’ve dried herbs and made pesto and pickles and tomato sauce… although I’d really love to know what keeps happening to the beans I keep setting to pickle. They’ve all grown some exotic form of mold and seeing that I’m fancifully paranoid about botulism I don’t intend to try again. I may have to get over my irrational fear of pressure cookers since there’s no practical way I can set up to flash freeze my excess beans. What’s more fearful…..Hmmmm…. botulism or an exploding pressure cooker? Po-TAY-to po-TAH-to…..

If I had the time I’d rip out the rest of the back yard and turn it all into garden space. I’d love to be able to provide, not just supplement, our vegetables throughout the winter.

But however much I manage to do, it sure makes me happy!