Our garden is dying... and with the hard freeze forecast for this weekend... we decided to give in and gather all the produce this week. After placing it all on the porch, I felt overwhelmingly blessed! Not only did my garden provide a chance this year to experience the law of consecretion, by sharing with Sorensen's, but it provided well for both of our families. What a huge blessing! It had challenges (ie; plants that wouldn't produce, or died, tomatoes that would not turn red f-o-r-e-v-e-r, and wicked squash bugs...) but it was truly a miracle. And I have learned many things from it:
* Friendships endure hard things...and become stronger.
* Planting from seed does not mean better plants. Sometimes God invented greenhouses for a reason... and that reason would be me, Mrs. Black Thumb.
* Seedlings grow faster in warm oven now and then, unless your sweet husband tries to set the oven for you. Then hot dirt kinda stinks.
* Children can-not be convinced that tomatoes are fruit and therefore tasty.
* Other children will pick up on food avertions from their friends...even if they used to love it!
* Baby squash bugs look like Halloween foder... white with black legs! eewww...
* Nothing beats a BLT with tomato and lettuce from your garden (and homemade french bread! btw Aim I want that recipe! *wink*)
* No matter how much you like it...after the 5th or 6th batch of cucumbers in vinegar and cucumbers on your salad...well there is only so many ways to eat fresh cucumber! And after just so many they loose their appeal...BIG TIME! LOL!
* Zuchinni on the other hand has more uses than you can throw a stick at... and with squash bugs you don't get to enjoy as many as you'd like.
* Speaking of Zuchinni - Grilled Zuchinni will never get old. 'nough said.
* Peppers as well - you really only need one plant. We were at a loss as to what to do with the dozens of jallepenos and anaheims! Yikes! And with no red tomatoes salsa was lamented...
* Do not grow herbs if you dont know how to use them and don't take the time to learn. They grow much too quickly and go to seed even faster!
* Watering for 20 minutes inevitably means I will forget it's on, flood the garden - and the neighbors, and no one can set foot near it for 3 days.
* Home grown cantelope is DIVINE! Now the store bought stuff has a store bought taste to us! We will definately try that one again!
* Tomato cages are not for us. They just do not work out. We are going to try and different method next year!
* Picking your own food and eating it, vs. picking it out at the grocery store, gives you so much more joy than I ever thought possible!

Thankyou Amy for a fun year growing a garden! We will miss you guys next year!!

And I thank my Heavenly Father for the blessing and counsel of growing a garden. :)