...if you have a backyard and a kitchen, this blog might be for you!

a chronicle of tips and recipes on everything from gardening to canning and baking your produce, even if you're planted in suburbia...in fact, especially if you are planted in suburbia.



Saturday, September 11, 2010

Garden Pilgrimage: Tennessee Mountain Garden






My friend, Abigail, keeps her garden in the mountains of Tennessee. Her garden is much larger than my suburban one is, and her pantry starts the winter much fuller as well!







This is a picture of her potato stacks. Early in the season as her potato plants begin to grow, she adds mulch and soil and another layer of "tire" for the plants to grow through.














Her homeschooling children help her with the garden, beginning with the prep work of the spring season--
























--and continuing through sandbox play, bean-side in the heart of the summer season!




























And when the days come for shelling the beans...it's still a family venture for them. I must confess, I envy the ability to take a family's sense of purpose, sense of mission and bring it to such a basic realization of personal relevance to the family as a whole--and for the very food on the table. Magical!



By the season's end, the pantry is a whimsical mix of canned produce and homeschool supplies...a snowy winter in the ready.









Our September garden pilgrimage has taken us to visit a season in Abigail's garden--all the way from prep stage to pantry. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did--seeing the beauty of spring through autumn in a mountain garden!

3 comments:

  1. Thank you, Deb, for featuring my garden :-)
    It's a lot of work, but so worth it, and really enjoyable. I especially like being tied to the rhythm of the earth, the seasons - summer- busy busy... winter - rest, the rain - which means a break from outside work, and time in the kitchen to preserve or to prepare ahead, for the days of sun - full of hard work, sowing, reaping and of course, fun... all wonderful gifts the Lord has given.
    It has been one of my dreams, for years, to be a SAHM with a garden - and for the past two summers I've done just that! Pics here are from both years. Again, thank you for featuring our bit of earth in TN!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks YOU for the peek into your life. Many of us would love to take a year to be you...

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hey I recognize that hand shelling beans ... *grin*

    ReplyDelete