On a day like today when I’m battling a firmly established head cold and am hunkered inside watching the snow come down and perennials crash below a blanket of the white stuff, I take a moment to be thankful.
One Veggie Bed Blanketed in Snow
I am glad for all of the work I’ve put into the garden through mulching, proper pruning and watering to prepare it for weeks like these when the temperatures hardly make it above freezing. And mostly, I’m thankful for all of the food my garden yielded in the past season and all of the work I put into preserving it for winter.
When I’m sick — and especially when I’m sick and its frozen outside — the last thing I want to do is head to the grocery store. So, knowing I can pull out frozen homegrown (or farmer’s market) green beans, tomatoes, carrots, corn, basil, king boletes; and dig through cellared potatoes, garlic, squash and onions; and soak dried cranberry, kidney and red beans to make a pot of fresh soup gives me a bit of relief. Together with a bit of broth or even water, with a dash of black truffle salt, I can pull together a meal without much effort.
Bountiful Veggie Bed in July
In September I wrote a post questioning whether my laborious food preservation work was worth it. Today I know that it was. It’s back to the sofa to curl up under a blanket, watch the snow and read a good book. And maybe I’ll pull together another pot of soup later on and make a salad from the greens I cut from the garden last week before the freeze hit. And, if I get ambitious, I might even bake some bread to go along with the soup — or slather it with some of the apple butter or huckleberry jam I put up with the sweet fruits of summer’s bounty.
Or, if my cold gets the most of me, I might just defrost one of the many tomato soup batches I made last summer in anticipation of a cold winter ahead. Really, though, I hope the cold goes away. I’m very wistful for a summery Lemon Verbena martini right about now!
Want to remember the warm days of summer and the bountiful harvests? Reminisce with me here:
- 99 Pounds of Tomatoes to Preserve
- Lemon Verbena — growing and preserving
- Summer corn harvest
- Harvesting and storing Potatoes
- Farmer’s Market Black Truffles
- Sharing Crops with Neighbors
- December Food Harvest
Tags: Food, preserving food
Can’t say my summer harvest was too bountiful but I sure do miss the warmer temps! Can’t wait for this beastly freeze to depart. Hope your cold goes even sooner!
Yes, I could use some warm sunshine today as well. I guess we’re getting the sunshine part, at least. thanks for the well wishes. I’m ready to kick this cold!