A Bumper Crop With Plenty To Share

"Poke had never shared out so many raisins,

because she had never had so many to share."

-- Orson Scott Card, Ender's Shadow

Bumper crop of garden-variety Barbies 9-13-14

"The little I have, I share with you;

the little you have, you also share with me.

Together we all have a full share of everything."

-- Israelmore Ayivor

"Give it away give it away give it away give it away now
Give it away give it away give it away give it away now
Give it away give it away give it away give it away now."

-- Red Hot Chili Peppers, "Give it Away"

I can still remember my grandpa filling my sister's little flowered bicycle basket with tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers, then sending her teetering off down the street to sell his overage to the neighbors for a nickel apiece.

He had extra, so why not share?

I like the idea, but not so much the approach.

I'd rather just share, without the middle-man, or the hefty price tag.

Right now I have more tomatoes, peppers and broccoli than I can possibly use, popping up and ripening in my garden every day.

After yesterday's picking I walked over to my neighbor, Vera's, and held out the colander full of peppers and tomatoes like a big, plentiful basket of Halloween candy and let her choose the biggest, prettiest ones.

I've been sending Leo's girlfriend, Mackenna, home with bunches of broccoli. Broccoli is her favorite. She calls it her "go-to" vegetable. Tomatoes too -- her grandma makes tomato sandwiches, like me.

This weekend, I'm cooking a big pile of tomatoes into a third batch of sauce to share with Sam so he can still eat a home-cooked supper when he's away from home. Granted, he's a good cook himself. He keeps texting me pictures of things he makes -- steak au poivre sandwiches, grilled salmon with asparagus, and Greek salad stuffed pitas. It's impressive. But I know damned well that the little shit ain't making his own pasta sauce. I can still do some things that he can't.

Anyway, part of the joy of having my garden is sharing what comes out of it. And not just sharing because I have too much. But sharing because I have any at all.

I even like to share the harvesting duties. Sometimes I wait on purpose to pick stuff until Mackenna is here to help me, because she enjoys it too. And I enjoy her company. (She was also a very helpful assistant in setting up the bumper crop of garden-variety Barbies for today's photo).

My garden will be winding down soon. But while it keeps on producing an abundance of goodness, I'll keep on giving it away.

Because the only thing sweeter than finding good things, is sharing all the good things that I find.

First Harvest

"As we plant, so we harvest and eat."

-- Guru Granth Sahib

Broccoli 6-21-14

"The broccoli says 'I look like a small tree',

the mushroom says 'I look like an umbrella',

the walnut says 'I look like a brain',

and the cucumber says 'Can we please change the subject?'"

-- Unknown

Ding! Ding! Ding!

And the One Good Thing award for "Most Ambitious Young Veggie In The Patch" goes to (drum roll) --

Broccoli!!!

Wait, wait. Before you turn up your nose,  let me say that home-grown broccoli is totally tastier than store-bought. I admit, broccoli can be pretty aggressive on a lot of fronts. But home-grown broccoli lightly steamed mere minutes from being picked from the backyard garden is a kinder, gentler, lovelier vegetable altogether.

Because it isn't bred to withstand long-distance truck travel, its flavor is more delicate, its texture is tenderer, and its -- let's say "digestive after-effects" -- are milder and more, well, demure.

Its florets are prettier and less dense. Its emerald color is more vibrant, before and after cooking. And the serving bowl is emptier after everyone digs in and eats every last tiny tree. 

We enjoyed the first broccoli harvest from my little garden at supper last night along with some basil pesto pasta that I made with my fresh garden basil. I love cooking good fresh food for my family, but growing the good fresh food that I feed them is extra satisfying.

Everybody knows that eating veggies is good for you. But here's a little secret about growing the veggies yourself -- they're so healthy that they make you feel pretty darned good before they even hit your plate!