Saturdays in the Garden

So when I can over this next year I'll be posting a new series called "Saturdays in the Garden."  Basically it is exactly what it sounds like – reflections on tending my garden.  On one level it is mundane – it's just talking about dirt and plants.  But in another sense it is deeply spiritual.  We so often fail to think about our food – where it comes from, who grew it – much less understand what it means to grow our own food.  This is something I do to 1. connect me to God's creation, 2. learn how to live gently off the earth, and 3. have an alternative to the often unethical food system that exploits workers, poisons the environment, and wastes fuel.  But it's an adventure for me (especially as I attempt to understand the Texas growing seasons), a learning experience (you mean there's more to this than sticking stuff in the ground and watering it?), and a discipline.  And I'll be sharing about it here for those who are interested.  Some weeks will simply be about the progress of the garden, others about what I've learned or insights I've gained. I'll share tips and recipes, or simply my failures (hopefully not).  We'll see what develops.

That said – my garden is just now getting going.  Mike built me a garden as my Christmas present this year and I've spent the past month preparing the soil and starting my seeds.  The seeds are just about ready to be transplanted outside, but as you can see Emma was a tad impatient with the whole process and planted her own food (mmm, doesn't that roast chicken leg look yummy…).  It's been fun explaining to her the process of growing food.  Every morning she runs first thing to check the seeds and exclaim over the new sprouts.  For her it is difficult to even wait an afternoon for bread to rise and be baked, so the months it takes for a seed to transform into a tomato or eggplant is hard for her to wrap her mind around.  It will be fun walking through the process with her.