Returning the Favor

Most of this went home with my mom, whose summer garden hasn't quite kicked into high gear.

What a lovely weekend! I was fortunate enough to spend most of my weekend with my wonderful mom, showing her around town, introducing her to the Draught House and Upper Crust and a few of our other favorites, window shopping, and enjoying every moment of our time together.

One of my favorite parts of the weekend, though, was when I sent her home with a bag full of vegetables from our garden. Oh, how the tides have turned!

It was so rewarding to finally be able to return the favor. My mother's gardens span across the countryside, thriving in rich farm dirt. Since they have the room out there, many of the her fall vegetables (turnips, beets, collards, and more) are still going strong. Her summer plants aren't quite producing yet, so before she went back home I packed up a bag full of zucchini, pattypan squash, peppers, and cucumbers.

My favorite part of having a garden is being able to share it with others. Sure, it's wonderful to enjoy our own meals of home-grown vegetables, but there's something even better about helping to nourish someone else. Especially when that person has done the same for you.

Come to think of it, a little bag of vegetables is hardly "thanks" for a lifetime of nourishment.

Of course, the next day I went out to her place and brought back a few pounds of peaches...

Happily, life is cyclical. I'm grateful for the chance to share these things with my mother.