Monday, June 1, 2015

Sharing the Bounty


There is satisfaction in growing your own food. The planting, the sprouting of seeds, the tending and nurturing, the harvesting, the putting by, the eating....each step is filled with hope, magic, a whole lot of happiness, and a deep satisfaction. 

When I harvest food from the backyard, when we sit down to a meal that we grew, or when we open a jar of food on a dark, cold winter day that I put by one hot, humid August day, I am reminded of the intentional steps we have taken to get here, of the pleasurable hard work it took to put food on our table, and of the simple joy gardening brings to our family.

On Saturday morning, as the sun rose over the trees, I returned from my morning run and wandered around the garden. I breathed in the intoxicating scent of the lilacs, I peeked in on the sprouts, some now past the sprout stage, I made plans for meals, and I slowly began harvesting greens. Greens to share. You see, one of the many wonderful joys of growing your own food is in the sharing of the bounty. I gathered up a variety of greens, and some chives, packaged them up with a jar of last summer's pickles, and a little vase of lily of the valley, and while out running errands later that morning, quietly left them on the front doorstep of someone special. A little surprise from our backyard to their home.

There is something special in sharing things you have grown, or made. They are simple gifts, filled with love, and I hope, convey to the recipients just how much they mean to us.

33 comments:

  1. joy joy joy with those garden treasures :)

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  2. i don' think there is anything like it.
    my pipe dream of having a little homestead might be returning, very slowly, and one of the ideas that brings me much joy is the sharing of the surplus.

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    1. Oh that is wonderful to hear Autumn, I know how much that means to you, and I look forward to following along.

      It is so wonderful sharing all this goodness. And it makes me really happy to know this is just the beginning of a full season of sharing :)

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  3. Awesome! And I love that basket

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    1. Thanks Aimee. I have two of those baskets, got them years ago, and I love them too!

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  4. I know those feelings well and you are so right Kim, sharing the bounty blesses everyone.

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  5. what a wonderful thing to do...I'm sure you made somebody very happy. Have a great week Kim.!

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    1. Thanks Erica, it did make them very happy. I received a lovely email last night from the recipients :)

      You too, my friend. xo

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  6. What a beautiful post. We hope to be able to do more of that this year. We were able to share so many tomatoes last year, but not much else. We have been surprising neighbors with handfuls of greens and asparagus. They were so tickled. :-)

    Wishing you a wonderful day xo

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    1. Thanks Yanic. It is so lovely to share the wonderful gifts from our gardens.

      Hope you are having a wonderful day too, my friend. xo

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  7. That's a surprise that everybody would love to find at their doorstep! How thoughtful and kind of you. :-)

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  8. What a sweet thing to do! That looks like the bounty of our garden right now--greens and chives--the taste of spring!

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    1. Thanks Andrea. I like doing things like that, it makes me happy :)

      Yes, the taste of spring, and we are loving, and I am sure you guys are too.

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  9. Yes, I'm sure someone dear felt very special indeed to find your little package at their door! Enjoying your garden from here too.

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    1. Glad you are enjoying the garden through the blog Alexa. You know if you ever want to make the drive, you and your beautiful family are welcome to come for a visit. The kids can play, we can drink tea, and chat, and our hubby's can hang out too. Let me know :)

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  10. I wish it was my doorstep :) I grew up with a gardening dad, and we would walk with his bounty door to door dropping off our vegetables and then coming home with theirs. Fun!!

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    1. Oh Karen, how I would love to leave you a little package. Maybe one day :)

      That sounds just wonderful, what a memory to have.

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  11. Lovely. Such a little thing, but it's the little things that make a day add up to wonderful. Whenever I share our garden bounty with others who don't have a garden, it seems almost magical for them. The are so grateful!

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    1. Thanks Coco, and yes I have learned that over the years. Magical is a good word for it, you can see the joy and gratitude in their eyes.

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  12. So lovely! The other day I gave my friend a huge bouquet of kale and chard for her birthday, She loved it! :)

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    1. Thanks KC! I have been known to show up for dinner at a friends homes with "bouquets" of kale and chard....always a wonderful gift.

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  13. I think that's a gift anyone would love, it's amazing how much your garden gives to you in so many ways.

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    1. So true Sally, day after day, the garden provides so many gifts :)

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  14. I completely agree, Kim. I love being able to provide some of my family's food, whether through keeping chickens for eggs or by canning food we've grown. We can't grow a lot here in this climate but we try to use everything we do grow. I especially appreciate your use of the word "intentional" in this post. Intentional living is very important to me.

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    1. It is such a wonderful feeling to be able to provide for your family this way, isn't it? As a stay at home mom, with only a small income, the garden, and all the canning, and putting by I do is my way of contributing to our family.

      Thank you. That word, "intentional", is such a big part of the journey we are on, and has gotten us to a pretty good place so far.

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  15. Lovely. All of my seedlings died this year, no clue what happened so our gardens are a bit behind. That lettuce looks so good. We have a whole bed planted this year. Fingers crossed.

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    1. Thanks! Oh no, that is too bad. The salad greens we are harvesting are so good. I can't tell you how wonderful it is to eat from our gardens again. So good.

      I will keep my fingers crossed for you my friend. xo

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  16. Is the plate one of your handmade baskets? Those greens sure do look yummy!
    Wish I had the know how, space, and patience to have a garden.

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    1. No, not one I made. I have two of those, picked them up years ago, like maybe 15 years ago. I love them!

      Thank you, they are delicious, and I know the people that received them truly enjoyed them.

      Maybe one day Darcel, it doesn't take much to get started, and the rewards are amazing!

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