There is always a moment when the garden produce burgeons. Growth is so rapid, even the weeds can’t keep pace. The gardener hardly puts down her spade and trowel when the vegetables take over. Even the weeds can’t keep pace. Flaunting their beauty and flavor, the veggies become irresistible. Why wait? The gardener relishes the first taste of homegrown summer and reluctantly steps away until the first picking. Gathering, canning, freezing assure summer delights in winter. But first comes the inevitable question: “Can you use some zucchini? I’ve got a good recipe.” And the doorbell rings again: “How about some pickles?” The end of summer is “the most wonderful time of the year!” It brings together neighbors, smells like tomato sauce, displays on shelves like artwork, tastes like the Fourth of July in January—and it gives me a chance to use the word “burgeon.”
“To live is to be slowly born.”
Antoine de Saint-Exupery
Sunflower Seeds
Celebrating Everyday Spirituality
One Response
I love August! It’s not only my birthday and nameday. It’s memories of canning 100 quarts of tomatoes, 75 quarts of peaches, and 40 pints of pears with our little hands stuffing these carefully in the mason jars. I am so glad now I grew up on a farm. Working along side Mom holds such cherished memories. And maybe some day I will also grow Sr. Valerie’s vocabulary.