And The Winner Is...

A simple sandwich with a deeper meaning

See if you can spot our kitty, Blair

Well, my Master Gardener group came and went. The lunch felt like Christmas morning- there was so much prep work and then it was over justlikethat. We had a lovely time and I am so glad to have put the effort in to cleaning up our gardens. I woke up this morning and went outside and reveled in the tidiness of the nearly perfectly edged grass and the newly mulched beds. Gardens are like houses, you can decorate them beautifully but if it’s a mess, the beauty is easily overlooked. That being said, I know I won’t always have a neat and tidy garden, but I sure do appreciate it now that it is here. So thanks to my fellow Master Gardeners for getting me motivated to get my garden in shape. And as a result, next week, we will finally do a garden tour as promised.

One thing you might not know about the Master Gardening program is that it’s not just learning about gardening. You also have to volunteer a certain amount of hours each year. Recently during a volunteer shift, I took a break to eat a sandwich I had packed, and another volunteer asked me about it. It was an English muffin Savannah had made from sourdough discard, topped with ham from the pigs we raised and blackberry-elderberry jam we'd recently made. As I was listing off the contents, I realized this simple sandwich represented years of learning and slow work. I was so proud to tell him about my sandwich.

The sandwich wasn’t particularly fancy but it represented years of choices we made over the years. We could have bought ham from the grocery store but instead we spent half a year raising two pigs and giving them the best life we could. We planted berries and preserved them instead of buying jam. None of these choices were necessary and there are certainly easier options. But the satisfaction of eating food that you brought to life with your bare hands is hard to top. Every year, bigger chunks of our meals come from something we grew, raised, harvested, persevered, or homemade and it’s a nice feeling, especially since that is what we set out to do so many years ago.

I don’t think everyone needs to raise their own pigs or even have a garden. But I do think we all could benefit from making something with our own hands. Maybe it’s tomato sauce. Maybe it’s jam. Maybe it’s a dress you sew or a card you make instead of buying. There is something deeply satisfying in taking the time to learn a skill and present the world with something you made with your own hands.

Hazel wanted you to see her new 'do :)

On another note, we are excited to announce the winner of our Greenstalk giveaway!

Thank you to all who entered and thank you for being here reading our newsletter every week. We are able to live the life we want and share it with you because you keep showing up. So, thank you.

If you missed this week’s YouTube video, check it out here. We revealed our new garden we built in the woods! Go check it out :) See you next week!