Too Many Potatoes

We’ve been eating from the garden since the middle of April . Not a lot, a few onions, radishes, and asparagus, but it’s always fun to pick the first vegetables of spring. Well, recently it is always fun.

Not so much as a kid.

Mom and Dad grew a huge garden. Every spring we planted 100 pounds of potatoes. The problem with planting 100 pounds of potatoes is that 100 pounds of potatoes have to be weeded. Another problem with planting 100 pounds of potatoes is that over 100 pounds of potatoes have to be dug.

On top of the potatoes were long rows of green beans and corn, along with several tomato plants. The problem with long rows of green beans and corn, and several tomato plants is that they had to be weeded, harvested, and canned.

The canning didn’t bother me all that much, Mom took care of that. Come to think of it Mom took care of a lot of things garden related. She planted, weeded, harvested along with the rest of us, doing more than her fair share, then on top of that she handled the canning.

And the cooking of all that garden produce.

I never appreciated all she did when I was a kid. I think most kids are that way, some worse about it than others. Not that I was ungrateful, I just wasn’t as appreciative as I should have been. At times appreciation only comes with hindsight.

It’s important to learn to appreciate things in real time. The first vegetables of spring. Granddaughters showing up unexpectedly. An unplanned date night. Needed rainfall. The day’s first cup of coffee.

Gardening has been a part of my life since before I can remember. Yet, it’s only been in the last few years or so that I’ve learned to appreciate all that it has taught me and given to me.

Hope it continues to do so for several more years.