If you have been a faithful reader or know me in person, it will come to no surprise that I have a passion for gardening. Gardening to me is an escape from the "normal" duties, a chance to connect with the outdoors, as well as provide delicious, inexpensive food for my family.
My passion began at a early age passed on by my great-grandparents, Hubert and Esther. Living through the Great Depression, my great-grandparents were truly "master"gardeners of sorts in Iowa. Amazing flowers, tasty produce, and perfect "row" order was always overflowing out of their garden. As a child, I loved running through their garden looking at the many varieties of vegetables, picking cherries from their trees, and bending down to smell all the flowers. I was infatuated.
Today, I maintain my own garden with a wide variety of family-favorite vegetables, fruits and flowers. Not only does it give me great joy and pride, but my family benefits monetarily from my efforts. For merely the cost of seeds varying in price from $1.29-$1.89 and labor my family enjoys food throughout the year. When compared to the cost of purchasing all of the same harvest in the store it would I'm sure blow you away. Unfortunately, I've never calculated the actually harvest each year. (I know...this is something I should really do!) I do know my family eats food from our garden througthout the year which equals monumental savings.
Planting a garden can be a simple as having a tomato plant in a large container on your back porch to having a entire side yard designated to producing food for your family. If you've never gardened before I encourage you to plant something this year even it is just carrots. Pick something you know your family will enjoy eating. Save money by reaping harvests from your own backyard...not some grocery store that shipped it over from another country.
Our garden is already in the ground...the sweet peas, green beans, onions and cilantro are already peeking out of the ground. Is yours?
The harvest is plentiful by the workers are few. Ask the lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.
Matthew 9: 37-38.
From inside the little blue bungalow,
Katie Jean
Reader's Note: If you are looking for more inspiration in eating local, I HIGHLY recommend reading Barbara Kingsolver's book: "Animal, Vegetable, Miracle". A Little Blue Bungalow MUST READ!
2 comments:
Thanks for the idea to grow cilantro! I've never thought about it and I eat a ton of it! Our sunflowers are going to town, peas are next. Dan spaces them out well so I have an amazing pea harvest all summer long! :-)
I'm so excited to read this. I've been considering starting a garden, but I just have absolutely no idea what I'm doing. Do you have any resources you recommend reading before starting? I like your idea to start simple. Rory has a pretty good herb garden that he planted a couple years ago and we use those all the time. I'll have to pick your brain sometime :-)
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