Veggie Rama!

The first frost is rummored to be headed our way tomorrow night, if not tonight. Yesterday was our last veggie pickup at Delaney farm for our CSA (although our fruit share continues for a few more weeks). Today they opened the farm to shareholdes to come pick whatever they wanted for winter storage, or immediate use. There is still so much left on the vine. Hillary and I headed over there today, on this balmy 44 degree day that we are having and harvested veggies until we couldn't feel our hands any more.

It got me thinking about how this season, this harvest, all this progress and growth is now winding down. It's time to put the gardening away for some time, to clean house, and to get ready for the winter. Freezing, canning, cooking ahead, storage, these are the things we should be craving right now. I plan to store much of this food, mostly in the name of some of my favorite soups and stew recipes.

This giant harvest also reminded me that change is good. Seasons are good. Sometimes turning a page and doing different things is needed. Triathlon season is over, and I'm sad yes, BUT, now is the time to hunker down for winter. What? No? Did I just type that? No, now it's time for snowshoeing, for skiing, for cute hats and scarves! Now is the time to get strong, to stay fit, to run run run, and swim swim swim. Just as I am excited to get into the kitchen and start cooking, I'm excited to dust off the snowshoes and all the cute winter clothes.

Change is good. Embrace it! Pictured above from bottom to top: 8-ball zucchini, red and yellow onions, 5 different varieties of potatoes, 3 kinds of eggplant including those cute little orange tomato looking ones, patty-pan squash, yellow crook-neck, green zucchini, bell peppers, poblano peppers, banana peppers, tomatillos, cherry tomatoes, basil, and a SLEW of tomatoes.