After putting all the tomato, squash and zucchini plants in the food pantry plot (henceforth known as FPP) and sowing rows and rows of beans and radishes and digging a trench for potatoes, the next couple days were the most trying since I finally got a hold of the garden gate key 'way back' in May. An extremely hot and sunny day left all the plants withered and dead looking and the earth cracked over and dusty. I was pretty heart broken and felt like the run of success that the original plot had been, had suddenly came to a screeching halt. Perhaps it's the New Englander in me, but I often am cautious about glorifying too much success, for fear of the old line, 'pride comes before the fall' being proven again. I was therefore, I thought quite lucky that a good soaking, a few prayers and fingers crossed perked up all the plants and after a week of some TLC (of both the Waterfalls variety and the tender lovin' care sort), the FPP is looking pretty great. The Potatoes have sprouted, the radishes and beans have all germinated and the Tomatoes, squash and zucchini seem to be taking, so in about 15-20 days, we'll have out first basket for food to bring to the pantry, radishes!
Here's a picture of the FPP from this afternoon:
More so, this past weekend I had the extreme honor of traveling north to see my Aunt marry her now wife, who she has been with for 17 years! The wedding took place just outside Augusta, which isn't very far from where my mother's family is from. This is the first trip that I can actually remember going on and it was a bit jarring and centering all at the same time. Inland Maine, where Augusta and my ancestral home is located, is centered in the middle of the paper and wood industry and for many, it meant good union protected jobs. Up until the Paper Mills took advantage of the slump the American economy went through in the 1970's and 1980's, and busted the Unions, a job in the mill meant a secure and permanent position in Maine's middle class. What exists there now is just terrible poverty. My great Grandparents' house looks run down, beautiful Victorian homes, adorned woodwork, sit with peeling paint next to double-wide trailers. It's just all very sad and in a way interrupted my previous imagination of a sort of classic New England image I had of where I came from. More importantly I think though is the resolve I also saw while driving through the backwoods of Maine. So many gardens, huge gardens! Each tucked into the yards houses in every neighborhood and along most every road, the realization that for many, gardening wasn't some frivolous hobby, but the only way of putting and keeping food on the table. It was a good reminder of the ancient faith that gardening really is and I am grateful for it.
Perhaps what is most exciting though is I became an Uncle on Monday! My Sister and Brother-in-law welcomed into their family a little girl named Caroline Mary, who is literally the cutest baby I've ever seen. I know. Everyone says that and I won't lie, I did for a second worry that there was the (unlikely) chance that maybe the baby would have features she'd have to grow into, or come out covered in hair or any a plethora of typical wrinkly newborn baby things, and I'd have to spend the next couple of months dodging the SHE'S SO CUTE line, but seriously this baby is absolutely gorgeous. I'm not entirely convinced that my sister gave birth to her and instead perhaps she took part in a con of the entire family, carrying an increasingly inflated basketball under her shirt and went out on Monday morning to Babies R Us and picked out the cutest baby they had. That's what they sell at Babies R Us right? Babies? I just assume.
And although my original plot has suddenly taken a back seat to all stuff babies, it too has exciting things happening. In just the weekend I was away, the arugula has given me another harvest of leaves, which equaled two dinner salads, the beets have finally gotten to the point of being thinned out (which'll happen tomorrow perhaps), the potatoes are just ridiculous now and have started showing flower buds, which is a good sign that little baby potatoes are happening below, the tomatoes all have at least 5 tomatoes or varying size and development, one plant alone has 21 tomatoes ranging from tennis ball size downwards, the cucumbers have exploded in growth, all the plants are covered in the yellow flowers and baby cucumbers, which mean cucumber sandwiches and quick pickles wont be too far away. The pattypan squash are HUGE and the male flowers have started flowers, and that means in a week or so, they'll be joined by the female flowers, which means I'll soon be pickling and jarring them too and the green beans all have purple/white flowers on them and come up to above my knee! Also, the little side garden full of herbs and a more arugula and romaine have come along nicely!
Here's a few pictures:
If you were curious of what potatoes look like (and what my pinky finger
looks like) here it is! Future Gnocchi and roasted potatoes!
What an awesome week!
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