Keeping the rows straight
I tend to favor the bit wild, out of control English garden style in my flower beds. Plants get overgrown and tumble over the borders and each other. Self seeders send out volunteers to pop up the next year in unlikely and often wonderful color combinations. The older the garden gets the more settled and intertwined it becomes and the less I have to do with the result.
It was only after moving out of the city that I planted my first veggies. And, to my surprise one of the details I love about the vegetable garden is the order and symmetry. It’s miraculous to see the rows of carrots, onions, and beets pop up in the spring. It’s a true joy to watch the plants mature and see the tops of the root veggies peeping out of the soil – I love it so much that it can be difficult to start pulling up my crops when it’s time to harvest. So little of my life is orderly that I love being able to look out or walk down the rows and feel a calmness and quiet.
However, summer is definitely here and it’s time to pull up the beautiful rows. More and more of our meals are nearly all homegrown and the season is just beginning. I’ve already pulled my rows of garlic, leeks, some beets, carrots and onions.
It’s also time for the summer issue of Local Table. It should start appearing at your favorite local pick up spot later this week. Putting together a magazine is bit like a garden – requires lots of advance planning and work, the harvest and then the sharing of the meal. We celebrate the summer harvest and some of the folks helping to put the food on our table. There’s also a handy section of all the area pick your own farms – peaches, blackberries, blueberries, and even some flowers. If you’re not into picking yourself, it’s definitely time to head to your local farmers market to buy the freshest and tastiest fruits, veggies, meat and dairy you can possibly buy. This is when our area truly blossoms with an abundant harvest.
