Gardens, Canning, and Blessings
This year has been a lean one as far as available time and money go for our little family. Moving is the main culprit, in my opinion, for several reasons. I think Nate and I have grown as a result. We've attempted to stretch every penny and every minute as far as they could possibly go. It has been excruciating, in all honesty. But I think the effort has been well-spent, and will pay off in the long run.
Having a garden was one of those things we didn't really have the time or the money to do this year, but we both felt strongly that a garden was worth investing in. So we worked really hard and got a couple raised beds put in and filled them with soil that turned out to be pretty crummy, and a modest crop of little plants. I feel like there was so little time available to spend on the garden this time around. Asa and I were the main caretakers, as a result. I remember spending what seemed like forever out there trying to get the plants well-watered every couple of days. It was stressful because it took so long, but I think those were about the happiest times Asa and I spent together this year. Also, I think that Heavenly Father magnified our feeble efforts, and helped our little garden to grow.
As the main canning season approached, I wasn't sure what to do. I had no time to can, and was feeling the pinch of the budget as I contemplated buying peaches and apples and other fresh produce to put up. I also felt a good deal of stress over our mostly-empty food storage room in the basement. I mulled it over and over, trying to figure out how to make canning fit somehow, and finally just gave up and prayed. I told Heavenly Father my worries and desires and asked if there was any way he could help us to just get a little bit of food storage on our shelf. Turns out I should've just done that in the first place and saved myself the anxiety. The Lord opened the windows of heaven for us.
We were blessed by neighbors with excess, and family members who happened to be driving by the places that had super-cheap peaches for sale. We were blessed with knowledge that neighbors from our old house had given us on how to force stubborn tomatoes to turn red so we could make tomato sauce. Our un-sprayed and overgrown apple trees produced, and bless Nate's heart, he stayed up until the crack of dawn with me making applesauce out of them. We cut out countless wormholes and watched Dirty Rotten Scoundrels and had a good time, at least in retrospect. We were surprised by a crazy crop of grapes and a friend who was eager to lend me her steam juicers and teach me how to use them.
So the blessings were poured out, and we did our very best to receive them, and now our shelves have a modest supply of good food and peace of mind on them.
Having a garden was one of those things we didn't really have the time or the money to do this year, but we both felt strongly that a garden was worth investing in. So we worked really hard and got a couple raised beds put in and filled them with soil that turned out to be pretty crummy, and a modest crop of little plants. I feel like there was so little time available to spend on the garden this time around. Asa and I were the main caretakers, as a result. I remember spending what seemed like forever out there trying to get the plants well-watered every couple of days. It was stressful because it took so long, but I think those were about the happiest times Asa and I spent together this year. Also, I think that Heavenly Father magnified our feeble efforts, and helped our little garden to grow.
As the main canning season approached, I wasn't sure what to do. I had no time to can, and was feeling the pinch of the budget as I contemplated buying peaches and apples and other fresh produce to put up. I also felt a good deal of stress over our mostly-empty food storage room in the basement. I mulled it over and over, trying to figure out how to make canning fit somehow, and finally just gave up and prayed. I told Heavenly Father my worries and desires and asked if there was any way he could help us to just get a little bit of food storage on our shelf. Turns out I should've just done that in the first place and saved myself the anxiety. The Lord opened the windows of heaven for us.
We were blessed by neighbors with excess, and family members who happened to be driving by the places that had super-cheap peaches for sale. We were blessed with knowledge that neighbors from our old house had given us on how to force stubborn tomatoes to turn red so we could make tomato sauce. Our un-sprayed and overgrown apple trees produced, and bless Nate's heart, he stayed up until the crack of dawn with me making applesauce out of them. We cut out countless wormholes and watched Dirty Rotten Scoundrels and had a good time, at least in retrospect. We were surprised by a crazy crop of grapes and a friend who was eager to lend me her steam juicers and teach me how to use them.
So the blessings were poured out, and we did our very best to receive them, and now our shelves have a modest supply of good food and peace of mind on them.
White tomesols, our heirloom of the year.
Leah and Asa's secret hideout in the tomato plants.
An apple tasting party.
This is all so wonderful! You are all pillars of faith. It's so great that Heavenly Father cares about things like canning and food storage.
ReplyDelete