Is It Worth It?

We started our morning early. Sleeping on the back deck allows  the sun for a face to face wake-up but it is absolutely a beautiful way to greet the day.  Coffee, breakfast, relax and discuss what is on "the agenda"  for the day.  Rainbow Swiss Chard for sure.  It is ready to harvest and get to the freezer.  From picking, triple washing, cutting, blanching, cold water rinse and into the qt. bags was 1 1/2 hours.  Not bad and not a messy job.

Rainbow Swiss Chard, beautiful!

Ready for the freezer.

 Of course I take a spin around the garden to check progress on what is next for the picking.  Green beans are winning, they are skinny little inch long beans but give them 3-4 days and we will be up to our elbows in canning beans.  The nice thing about doing beans is cutting them for the canner.  This is when we pick for an hour and get to set on the back deck for an hour cutting, relaxing, enjoying the view and talking about whatever comes to mind.  Usually we talk of past vacations or things we remember from the past.  Even hey, remember so and so, I wonder what ever became of them.  Small talk with no particular value.

When you're 6'1" that is a long way down to pick.

There is still a lot of picking and digging for the next 2 months.

We have been asked a few times "is it worth it"?  The question is referring to our garden.  They are referring to the time and work involved plus the cost of seeds, canning jars, freezer bags, etc.  To us it is more than worth it.  The best reward is on cold, blustery winter days when I wonder what's for supper I can always come up with a hearty meal by just going to the freezer or canned goods.  It can be used in stews and soups or a side to a meal.  If unexpected visitors I always have a variety to pick from.  Then going to the grocery store is easier, just meat, dairy and fresh lettuce, cabbage, fruits and cleaning supplies.  No canned isle for me.  Another benefit to our garden is knowing where it came from, how it was handled and who touched it.  No pesticides for our garden and good old fashion fertilizer, remember chickens and horses make great fertilizer.

Here is probably one of the most important benefits to our garden.  Exercise, you know, use it or lose it.  It takes about a week in the spring to get our aches and pains worked through.  Heck we will even laugh about how sore and miserable we feel.  Morning is like, "I don't think I can get out of bed".  All worth it, we wouldn't have it any other way.  Real work verses going to the Wellness Center in the winter is no contest.  Real work will out match the machines and tread mills any day.  The Wellness Center serves for winter days we can't get outside and "move it".  Anything is better than nothing.

So is it worth it?  For us yes, for others probably not.  Getting dirty and time revolving around harvest is not for every one.  We are all different, after all we all make the world what it is.

I can't go to the garden without saying hello to the chickens and peeps.  Mama Silky was teaching the little ones to play follow the leader.  She would hop up on the tractor, give a cluck and up they would jump.  Rogue was the last to follow her command.

Come on peeps you can do it!

Yes they can!