It’s so funny how your perspective changes over the course of just a couple of months.

May 11th, I posted the first garden post of the year.  I was behind in my planting from the year before and a little bit worried about how it would all turn out.  I was excited about the fresh earth, the warm weather, my little seedling plants.  I couldn’t wait for them to start producing so I could do something with them.

Now, on September 15th, I’m worn out.  If I never see another mason jar or freezer bag again, it would suit me just fine.  I have been slicing, dicing, cooking, peeling, preserving, drying, and freezing until I just don’t want to do it any more.  Don’t get me wrong – God has provided and I am thankful.  As much as I love the art of food preservation, I’m just ready for this season to be over.  I’ve kept up with school, laundry, and scrubbing.  The house is clean, but the picking up and general housekeeping maintenance has been ignored and the day-to-day clutter is about to take over, the classroom is chaos, and my kitchen may never recover.  I still have suitcases on the floor of my bedroom from our trip to Ft. Wayne, Indiana, Labor Day Weekend.

Yesterday, I finished the last of it.  The last of the cherry tomatoes were made into spaghetti sauce.  The garden is brown, droopy, and the only thing in it green are the weeds that I finally quit fighting back and let them take over.

I still have some apples to contend with, but I honestly just don’t want to.  I’ll likely peel them, slice them, and dry them in the dehydrator and be done with it.  Rehydrating them later and using them in baked goods will be very easy.  I also have to do the sunflowers, but they aren’t ready yet.

Gregg came home from work yesterday and told me that the fruit stand on the corner of our road has a sign advertising local peaches on sale.  I asked him if he bought some and he laughed and said, “No!”  After preserving 30 pounds of peaches and 30 pounds of pears on Sunday, I was quite happy he hadn’t.

Today, I’ll scrub my kitchen clean and pack up the canner, stock pots, and various preserving accoutrements.  Tomorrow, I’ll get the rest of my house back in order (including contending with suitcases) and I’ll be ready for some semblance of a normal school year starting Monday.

And I guarantee you that after a few months pass my perspective will change again and by March I’ll be collecting seeds, drawing up plans, waiting and waiting and waiting for the moment when I can finally get plants in the ground.

Hallee

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