giving thanks

This is a collection of photos of my harvests this year.

How do you measure the success of a garden? The weight of your produce? The number of meals? A new variety discovered? The hours of pleasure? The number of broken fingernails and splinters? Good sleep after hard work... relaxation after a job all week... fresh garden martinis...

I'm trying to think of a way to rate my garden this year. It has brought piles of potatoes, days of digging, dreams of dirt, melon martinis, and filled the grill with vegetables all season.

This year I saw my first hummingbird moth, jumped with surprise then came to expect the fat toad in my garden. I had some success with organic parasitic wasps for control of corn ear worms. I picked and ate my first homegrown pear. I had lots of splinters and cuts and bruises. My son and husband constructed a new fence to keep out the burgeoning (and very cute) bunny population. And the dirt in my garden is looking exceptionally rich and dark.

While I've missed sweet potatoes, celeriac, and popcorn this year, I've had great crops of summer squash, fava beans, potatoes, cucumbers and eggplants. My parents had a good year with celery, tomatoes and beets - and way-over-the-top abundance of cucumbers and pumpkins. At the close of the season, it is a time for giving thanks for all the gifts our gardens give.

And I think our gardens give us much more than we can eat.