My gardener’s heart comes alive each year on Mother’s Day weekend. I get that urge to start planting. I start thinking about what I want to can, dehydrate, and freeze. I consider the fruit/berry/herb combinations that will be the basis for this summer’s recipe creations. I think it is because some of my happiest moments as a kid were spending time in the garden with my grandma and my mom.
This year is no different. As the sun shone this afternoon, we walked through the nursery selecting plants and choosing a half-whiskey barrel to become my new herb garden. We are in the second year of patio and container gardening, and still learning as we go.
I’m so excited to have raspberries again. I’m dreaming of raspberry-lavender jam, raspberry shrub, and raspberry-white chocolate dessert spread. (I’ll share the recipes during canning season.)
I harvested the leaves from my scraggly, half-dead herb plants and set them to drying in the dehydrator. They will be a tasty addition to my cooking as I re-invent recipes for my reduced carb diet. To replace the scraggly plants, I filled the half-whiskey barrel with garden soil and added sage, rosemary, thyme, stevia, parsley, and cilantro. Tomorrow my favorite little gardener will help me add some nasturtiums (edible flowers) to the edges of the barrel from the seeds we planted a couple weeks ago.
I’m hoping that I planted my pepper plants early enough to get a good crop this year but not so early that a cold spell will kill them. Salsa will be so tasty with red and green bell peppers, and I’m looking forward to harvesting the “Mucho Nacho” jalapenos for a little heat.
There’s something inspiring about donning gardening gloves, getting out the small shovel and rake, and digging in the dirt. Watching plants grow, and produce fruits, berries, and vegetables is an act of faith that affirms my belief in miracles. I can plant, water, and fertilize but only God can provide the sunshine and cause the plants to grow and produce food.
Gardening is a great way to step away from the rush and chaos of daily living. Plants and vegetation seem to absorb the noise of city life, and peace enfolds me as I sit in the swing to enjoy my morning coffee and devotions, or settle with a book and glass of iced tea on a warm evening.
Enjoying my garden with my heart 4 home,
