I’m so grateful for gardening. It’s a dream come true for me to grow my own food. Even though I don’t grow enough to sustain me and mine for a whole year, I am coming closer each season to putting up enough vegetables to get me through winter into spring–some of them anyway. I’m grateful for the beauty of the garden: the colors, the birds and insects it attracts and nurtures, the shapes and textures, the fleeting fragrances that float on the breeze, the subtle sounds and rhythms. And I’m grateful for the meaning and direction it gives me, and the deep connection to the earth, sky, and seasons.

I had fun this morning laying out the peppers I’ve harvested in the past week to get an idea of what I need to do with which of them when. A couple went right into a stir-fry for lunch, some went into the fridge to wait others which need a few more days ripening before I can start fermenting for hot sauce. Almost all the paprikas got sliced up for the drying rack.

A hearty lunch with all vegetables from the garden except the ginger, sliced chopped and fried with a little Penzey’s Bangkok seasoning and finished with soy sauce and Hoisin sauce, served over Basmati rice and garnished with roasted peanuts. So simple, so delicious!