The other day, a very dear gardener friend gave me a beautiful and unexpected gift: some pickings from this summer’s yield!
As you can see, this included some quite delicious things: lettuce, French chard, arugula, some sprigs of dill (of which one can never have enough), cherry tomatoes (that taste like the sun), a ton of basil + mint, and a few edible Nasturtium flowers (these bright orange buds are known for their zingy, peppery flavor which happens to be perfect for salads).
In past experience, I have tended to be chronically unlucky in my gardening attempts and exploits (where, yes, even a poor succulent didn’t quite thrive on my watch, I overwatered!). I’d like to continue to work on this, on my ability to steward and care for other forms of life. My gardener friend truly inspired me when he described a more recent project of nursing caterpillars to moth-hood — that is, adopting and feeding them, allowing them a safe place to build a chrysalis and grow their new bodies, then gently letting them go once their newly-sprouted wings had dried.
As a knitter and appreciator of the fact that good things take time (and also often only happen in their own time), I’d like to cultivate the heart of a gardener — a co-creator in an art whose medium is life itself! Maybe I’ll start small, sprout a few seedlings, and see what happens?
I’ve been sorely behind on my blogging and reading this month, but look forward to catching up on your creative exploits and adventures! 🙂
Oh salad from the garden is the best!
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Agreed! Thanks for reading, AJ. 🙂
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A salad made with home grown veggies cannot be beat! I agree with you on the dill. It’s so flavorful and really good for making refrigerator pickles, much better than dried.
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Ah, that’s a great idea. I may have to do pickles now. Thanks for reading, and happy stitching! 🙂
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Given your patience, perseverance and attention to detail, I would have pegged you for a consummate gardener! I think you definitely have it in you and should make a go with some seedlings 🙂
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Thanks for the kind words, Weekes! 🙂 You put it so eloquently – ‘consummate gardener’ describes my pal to a tee. A Happy Tuesday to you!
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Love that picture with the greens, I agree! One can never have enough of dill (love it!) .. gardening is such a craft, I don’t have the hands or patience for it to be honest. You should give it another try though 🙂
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Thanks for reading, Tess! Isn’t dill one of the best things? And you’re right about the craft of gardening and patience. It reminds me of the patience required to make lace (now, I wonder if there is some carry-over from lace-knitting skills to gardening). 🙂 Happy Tuesday!
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Ooooh, look at that lovely plate of goodies! I’m sure they were delicious. As for gardening, I’m not that good at it either… So, might I suggest aloes as a starting point? It’s a useful plant to have around, and they’re pretty much unkillable!
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Thanks for reading, Helen! That’s a great idea, thank you… because virtually ‘unkillable’ is my kind of plant (I’m learning it’s ok to be more of a plant-appreciator than cultivator at this stage!). XD Happy Tuesday to you!
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Hahaha! Yes, mine too. But being a plant-appreciator is also good… I always love a visit to the botanical gardens! Enjoy your weekend, Shirley🌱
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If you have a garden, try perennials. You can’t go wrong with them. Herbs and vegetables require more care, but as one reader commented earlier, with your attention to details and patience, you will make a fine gardener. I’m sure you made a delicious salad too with these beauties.
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Thanks for the kind words, Agnès! 🙂 I will look into the perennials. Thanks for the great idea! And, yes, it was delicious. It was a first try of a salad with Nasturtiums. They’re quite good. 🙂
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Shirley! What a beautiful plate of veggie bounty! A nice meditation on slow process. My husband is the gardner in our family and I so appreciate his work and the food he grows for us 🙂 I hope you are well with summer!
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Thanks for reading, Melissa! How wonderful to have a vegetable garden of your own (there’s a real kinship between gardening and knitting, I think!). I hope you’re enjoying the summer, too! 🙂
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I just love the idea of growing my own edibles, but I seem to be a hopeless gardener too. Even my succulents looked a hundred times happier after I went away for a week and left them alone. I think I’ll just stick to crochet produce!
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Succulents are tricky for me too (it’s hard to let them be, which is what they seem to like the most, lol). And yes, in the meantime, I’ll also be tending to my fiber flowers (which require no watering at all). Stunning work on the rose blanket! 🙂
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