I've written a lot about urban farming for food and self-sustainability and using organic and sustainable practices for the environment and health. One thing I don't write about much is the pure joy of growing plants and eating the produce. This weekend I had the opportunity to host a church group for a tour of our plots, and it gave me great pleasure to walk with friends among the green plants, to have samples of vegetables to eat, and to see small children pulling carrots and beets right out of the ground, washing those beautiful carrots with the hose and and eating them still warm from the sun. It made my heart happy to share stories, both bragging about our successes and commiserating about droughts, June bugs, and hungry bunnies. So if you decide to grow your own food, I'd put pleasure at the top of the list of reasons why.
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| The first cherry tomatoes are ripe this week, the earliest being the orange hybrid variety 'Sun Gold'. |
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| Green beans are in season. This variety is called 'Provider'. |
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| Raspberries grow very well in our local soil that is not acidic enough for blueberries. We always have plenty to eat fresh and freeze for the rest of the year. |
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| Cut flowers are in bloom! |
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| We have squash now, tomatoes, peppers, and garlic very soon, and eggplant after that. Almost ratatouille time! |
