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Friday, August 21, 2015

This week, green beans are only ninety-nine cents a pound

Harvest, lessnoise-moregreen.com

Pulling, picking, snipping and digging. Harvesting home grown produce is physical work. After forty-five minutes of bending over picking bush green beans, while the early morning sun rose behind me, I slowly straightened up and felt the sweat run down my tightening back. I had been working for a couple of hours and I was ready to stop.

As usual I had managed to get soil all over my face, up my arms, on my clothes and in my shoes. I sat on the edge of the bath tub and scrubbed my feet, arms and hands. Looking down I noticed a hole in my shirt - another casualty of the garden. I stopped putting money into clothes years ago after I destroyed yet another "good" piece of my wardrobe.

I poured myself a cold drink and sat on the porch resting my no longer twenty-five year old body. A thought crossed my mind:

"You know, green beans are only ninety-nine cents a pound at the supermarket this week."

I smiled to myself. This is true, but for me, the containers of green beans on my kitchen counter represent more than just dinner. They are the product of my labor and a physical manifestation of my skills as a gardener. They are my contribution to my family's well being and my own mental health. Every bean I grow and pick makes me more of a producer and less of a consumer.

When I look at the piles of produce in the kitchen I see satisfaction, investment, and pride in my ability and that I cannot buy at the supermarket for ninety-nine cents a pound.

I rose and made my way into the kitchen, inspired to use my hands to turn these beans into something worthy of my efforts. When I serve this dish at supper tonight I'll say, "I grew these," and my kids will roll their eyes and say, "We know, Mom."

Then, I'll look down at my plate and say to myself,  "I grew these."

See you in the garden,

Sue



47 comments:

  1. Harvest time....fresh foods from garden, it's healthy and wonderful.. Happy gardening:-)

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  2. Harvest time....fresh foods from garden, it's healthy and wonderful.. Happy gardening:-)

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  3. I agree with you. I figured out that if a family were to eat "one can" of niblet corn a week, realistically I'd have to plant approximately 100 plants of corn. Here I am planning next years plot. My kids think I'm nuts. Nothing beats self-sufficiency!

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    Replies
    1. I don't have the space to produce all our food, but I do better each year. I'm up to about 2/3rds of what we eat, which isn't bad. I grow big producers in small spaces - hence the deluge of green beans! I don't grow corn because they take up too much space and cast too much shadow. If you have space for 100 corn plants, good for you!

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    2. If you are up to 2/3 of what you eat, you grow, that's fantastic. I might eventually get there once I retire, in about 3 years. I know that nurturing a family is a full time job, and I can't be there yet. Though I do look at what I want, and compare it to what I do, and look forward to that goal. Everything tastes better from home, including cooking it at home.

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  4. ah, but I bet your beans taste so, so much better than those from the supermarket.

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  5. The big thing for me growing my own food is ORGANIC and non-GMO (only heirloom varieties). No pesticides, herbicides, commercially produced fertilizers (which can deplete the soil long term). Only composted animal manure and green material from the yard plus any (non-animal) kitchen scraps. Wish everyone saw the benefits of growing SOME food.

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    Replies
    1. Yes, it would be great if everyone grew some of their own food. I truly believe it is one of the most satisfying and rewarding things you can do.

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  6. Wow, your cabbage looks amazing. Love your blue and green display too!

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  7. Wow, your cabbage looks amazing. Love your blue and green display too!

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  8. Wow, your cabbage looks amazing. Love your blue and green display too!

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  9. This was a great read! I always feel so proud of what I grow. Thank you for sharing

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  10. New green beans ought to be fresh and break effortlessly when they are twisted. On the off chance that the green bean folds over effectively it is not as new as it ought to be. It can even now be utilized however the freshness of the bean is no more. There is nothing more delectable than great new green bean formulas and I will give you some of my top picks.

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  13. Love to see how you are growing greens yourself and living close to mother earth. Those vegetables looks amazing green and fresh. An idea that should be shared with everyone. It was a nice read . Thanking and regards Think to Share

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