I just walked in the door with my hair all tied up in a knot, mud caked on the bottom of my feet and in my fingernails, and I am one happy little girl! It is done! The garden is planted. I am feeling like it was done in the correct time frame too. Some years it has been the end of June before everything is in, but not this year. I am on top of it. I’ve got beans, corn, zinnias, raspberries, blackberries, strawberries, lettuce, parsnips, basil, kale, carrots, golden beets, tomatoes, sunflowers, peppers, tomatillos, cabbage, cantaloupe, and a ton of varieties of squash……oh my word. Here is a picture of what it looks like out there right now….
and this is what it will look like in a few short weeks!!
Lovely isn’t it. I know it isn’t much to look at now, but can’t you just see those little seeds warm and wet just getting ready to burst their little heads up out of the ground. Every day I have to check and see what is poking up. So far it is lettuce, and 2 parsnips. Parsnips you say. What the heck are those. This is where my love of gardening started. I am afraid that when it comes to loves, I have 4. James of course, 4 children, cooking, and my garden.
When I was a kid I was lucky enough to live next door to many cousins, aunts and uncles, and my Grandma and Grandpa Barker. My grandpa was an amazing gardener. He had a huge garden, and that was why we never did a garden in the Garner household. Grandpa B. had enough to share with every family in Pleasant View, and probably half of North Ogden. When Hollie and I were about 12, and 13 we worked one really long summer for my grandpa. Our job was to weed the carrots and parsnips. Every morning we would head out at about 5:30am on our 3-wheeler and buzz over to the garden. There we would spend the next 2 1/2- 3 hours weeding. It actually sucked, but we were earning money. You know underworked and overpaid. Parsnips were my grandpa’s specialty. Everyone in town loved them, or at least they acted like they did. We certainly did at my house.
A parsnip looks like a white carrot, but doesn’t taste anything like one. In fact, I had a seminary teacher once that said when the Jew’s celebrate the Feast of the Passover the “bitter herb” they eat to symbolize the bitter cup Christ had to bear, is actually a parsnip. Obviously they didn’t wait until a hard frost hit before they dug their parsnips up. That sets the sugar my grandpa always said. We love them roasted in a hot oven with butter and brown sugar. Yummy.
When my grandma finally made my grandpa stop gardening it was a sad day in Pleasant View. First off, my grandpa was never the same. He wasn’t the type to just sit. He was a goer. I think the gardening kept his mind sharp and active. Once he stopped he went down hill mentally quite quick. Since our supply of fresh garden produce was now obsolete we planted our first garden. There’s a learning curve involved in gardening. First thing you need to know is keep on top of the weeds. We didn’t do this so well, but we did reap some produce anyways. I can still remember digging the potatoes out of the ground. It was seriously like a treasure hunt. My mom would get so excited as each shovel full of earth also contained some lovely red potatoes.
I’ve loved a beautiful garden my whole life. The ride around Bear Lake has always been a favorite, seeing all the cute little granny cottages with perfect little gardens. All prim and proper, and not a weed to be seen. I’m going for that look again this year. Some years I do well, and others not so well. I think I actually love the way the garden looks more than how it tastes sometimes. So in a few weeks I intend to blog about something wonderful and strawberryish since that is the first thing to come on. Next it will be a wonderful salad, and then some raspberry deliciousness, some ratatouille, and homemade tomatoes…….there is so much to enjoy when you plant a garden. So happy dreams of yummy things to come! I can’t wait!
Lisa your garden looks amazing- I wish I could see it in person…I may just have to come up one day. I love your blog. Hope all is well with you and your family. Love, Lindi
LISA!!! It is a beautiful sight for my eyes! And so is your grass. I wish I could get my hands on some of that too! Congrats on getting your garden all planted! That is a huge undertaking!!!
Your garden looks so orderly! Steve serves parsnips as sides with a few dishes at Sonora Grill and fields a lot of questions about them. . . I’ve become a big fan.
Lisa!!! Your garden is amazing! I am so jealous! I live in a lame little apartment and I can’t have a garden. 🙁 Can’t wait to see how it turns out!
We look forward to your garden posts to come. Our garden has been planted as well and we are still on the that learning curve of how to do it all. So pump up your posts with lots of advice. We are going to have lots of tomatoes, so include ALL recipes concerning tomatoes. The quail in our neighborhood ate all of my kale and peas. Where’s James and his gun when we need them around here.
The Philpots
We love a beautiful garden too, but in 30 years of marriage have never accomplished even one. But we’ve been blessed with neighbors who seem to have the talent for it.
I LOVE your garden!!!! It is so pretty and perfect. Mine looks like red and brown crap(red and brown dirt) compared to yours. It is so B-E-A-UTIFUL!!! I love your garden and your blog and most of all you and james and the kiddos. Can’t wait to visit in August. We are bring Emily out to BYU. So I hope to get to see ya’ll then.
Do you know of anything that keeps rabits out??