The Promise of Plenty

I love to grow things.  I love it so much that I sometimes think I might be a hobbit. (that and the hairy feet :)  This year the garden has so much promise.  I love how things grow that we can eat.  I love how God provides for us in this way.  I love how so many of the things that grow on the land require so very little from me and yet there they are just ready to gather and eat.  Here are some of the lovelies growing in our neck of the woods.

The currants were plentiful this year.  I'm still deciding what to do with them all!
The basil has been lovin' all the rain.  I think some pesto will be made soon....
These little beauties are the first two apples to grow on our new dwarf tree.  Hurray!  Aren't they gorgeous?
A dual purpose corn (for fresh use and for dry - afterall I have a grain mill now!) and pumpkin vines in the background.

This is my favorite plant so far.  It's a red bell pepper.  It's soooo huge~! 
The lavender.  Aah, sweet friend.  Lavender makes me feel at home.
And here are the little hens.  They are growing so quickly.  We have yet to name them simply because it's been so rainy we haven't been able to sit and watch them much.  This little black one is the leader of the pack so far.

Badger swing, swing, swingin'! 

There are also things growing that are not pictured.  Mostly the oodles and oodles of berries.  The big old mulberry tree is ripening.  I've made a batch of raw jam for the freezer.  It will be such a treat in the winter when we wish for something sweet and fresh.  I am also going to try to dehydrate mulberries this year.  It seems like a good idea, right?  There are sooo many and I think it would be nice to put them in our granola or muffins in the winter.  Anybody know how to do it?  I think I'll just give it a try.  

 

I feel a huge sense of responsibility to use what we've been given.  It saddens me so much that my J has to work his whole life to provide for us.  I wish he could have more time to just be.  I want to contribute as much as I can and not add to the burden.  So if we eat salads of dandelion greens that we find in the woods....or dry the strange (but totally yummy) berries from the big old tree out back....I say  "good for us!"  We've been given so much.  I'm going to hike up my skirt, go into the woods and dig in!  Ha ha ha!