Thursday, June 4, 2009

Sowing and Reaping

Not so long ago we built up some raised beds
and planted seeds and seedlings.

Proudly we stood by.

(Inside we prayed that God would bless our humble effort.)

Growth began. We rejoiced.

Amazing to see life begin from a hard little seed.

More growth happened.
We marvelled at the rapidity of the radishes.

Color appeared as the radishes peeped . . .

And the tomatoes promised

We celebrated our first harvest with fresh bread,
sweet butter, spicy "french breakfast" radishes,
and a sprinkle of salt.
YUM!

More she grew . . .

And still more!
Along with those yummy radishes we have already enjoyed,
we anticipate english and sugar-snap peas,
zucchini and crookneck squash,
bell peppers,
lemon and armenian cucumbers,
plum and sweet 100 tomatoes,
all seasoned liberally with
the sweet basil and dill planted in between.

But let's not forget the salad greens and cilantro en potager

That has also exploded with crisp green growth.

The more we harvest the better it grows.

Fresh cilantro . . . MMMMmmmmmm . . .
can't be beat in a taco salad or salsa.

Did I forget to mention the blueberries?
They are bluing up nicely under the protective netting.

And can't you just taste the sweetness to come
in this plumping raspberry we have netted from the birds.

(Last year what berries the late frost didn't kill
the birdies feasted upon like gluttons.
I hope this year will be different.)

Here sings a lone apricot.

(No jam from this tree,
as you can plainly see.
But I have hopes for next year . . . )

Alas, the two cherries have been bird-napped
before their rosy flush complete.
Grrrrrr . . .

And so our harvest of radishes and lettuces and herbs delight us
as we await the bounty of later summer days.

To go with those biting little french radishes,
Miss Elizabeth prepared her very first batch of chevre/goat cheese.
It tasted fabulous and was a breeze to prepare.
But,
I shall save the details of that tasty treat
for another post.

* * *

Yet he has not left himself without testimony:
He has shown kindness by giving you rain from heaven
and crops in their seasons;
he provides you with plenty of food
and fills your hearts with joy.

Acts 14:17

13 comments:

farmlady said...

My goodness! What a bounty of food you have.
We are so lucky here in America. We forget that we must work for the things we need. You have obviously learned the lesson well.
Beautiful garden.

gail said...

Lovely post, lovely garden. Thank you for the lovely pictures also. We are having a mild winter here in Sydney, lots of blessing rain to cleanse the streets and paths and of course to wash all the gutters and keep them fresh and clean. I miss living in the country, but that will come soon when we have our apartment and business sold. In God's timing of course which is always perfect. Have a lovely weekend.

Blessings Gail

Laura ~Peach~ said...

yummmmmmmmmy

dawn klinge said...

Your garden is looking beautiful! My boxes are about the same size as your...I'm thinking I could have probably crammed a few more veggies in them after seeing what you were able to grow.

Werna Gail said...

I love the idea of raised beds, that just might be the answer for growing here where we have nothing but sand. It is to late to start now but "food for thought" for next season. It has been up in the 90's here....HOT, however the good Lord has provided lots of rain.
BE BLESSED:-)

Karen Deborah said...

awesome post love the pictures, and I'm going to pray about the trip. I was going to go to Colombia in Sept. Maybe though I can take a trip in July, it would be a great way to have my birthday.

June said...

Isn't it a miracle what can come from a tiny seed? Those radihes are making me crave the taste of buttered bread and those little lovelies.
Thank you so much for the sweet messages you have left for me to enjoy.
Hugs,
June

Unknown said...

oh what a bounty of beauty and blessing!! enjoyed it all SO much!! my 20 tomato plants are in danger of frost tonight, had to rush out and cover everything up, strawberries too which are just now blossoming. At least the rest of the garden is just barely peeking up and should do fine.

Mim said...

Hi Debbie
Thanks for visiting.
My lavender is blooming, but you are right.
The plant in the picture is my new favorite landscaping plant: catmint.
Not catnip, but catmint(nepeta) when you go to a garden center. It blooms profusely and fully. I bought about 8 plants this season as it grows large and tall, but not easily divided.
It was the 2007 plant/perennial of the year. I had it at my other house, and had forgotten how much I enjoy it. Let me know if you have luck finding it.

Becky said...

First off, that top pic of all the wisteria Cottage ladies needs to be framed, or entered into the fair, or at least you header. I love everything about it.

I very much like the design of your beds with the climbers at the ends. I recognize those blueberries ;-)

I would be inclined to grow berries to actually feed the birds lol. However I do confess that my strawberries are behind 'bars' of chicken wire.

Do you have goats now???

Kat said...

Oh that looks so beautiful!!! Nothing better than fresh fruit and veggies from your very own garden.
I love the idea of a raised garden too. It would help keep the boys from stepping in it. ;) I may have to add that to the list of things to add to the new home. :)

Anonymous said...

Goodness,you are certainly going to have a harvest, dear friend...
Everything looks so good...
And it's just starting...

Oh about the calendula for Shakespeare's tea, I have plenty of dried, I could spare some so that you don't have to wait forever, just let me know!

Wishing you a garden full of joy today!

Morning Glories in Round Rock said...

Your garden cup runneth over! Enjoy.