If gardening has taught us anything, it’s that no two seasons are ever the same.
Along with our family garden, we’ve also planted a small orchard. Some years it overflows with fruit, and other years… well, it keeps us humble.
Last year we had peaches coming out of our ears. This year, I think we have three.
Our apple trees developed a fungus, our pear trees have seen better days, and it’s easy to become discouraged when things don’t produce the way you hoped they would.
But that’s not where we choose to keep our eyes.
Instead of focusing on what we’re lacking, we choose to thank God for what He has abundantly provided.
This year, that has been our cucumbers, squash, broccoli, green beans, strawberries, and blackberries. We even planted huckleberries for the first time! We’re still figuring out what to do with them, but that’s half the fun of gardening, there’s always something new to learn.
One of my favorite harvests has to be the cucumbers because they mean one thing…
Pickles.
We are huge pickle lovers around here, especially bread-and-butter pickles. My sister started making them last year, and every time we open a pint, it seems like it’s gone before we know it.
Our strawberries did wonderfully this year, although I have to give credit where it’s due, my aunt has the grandest strawberry patch you’ve ever seen. I don’t think anyone could compete with hers!
Then there are the green beans.
Every summer, we have what we’ve affectionately named our green bean days. We all head to the garden together, fill our buckets, and then gather around the table while Mom gets everything ready for canning.
If I’m being completely honest… they’re probably mine and my sister’s least favorite harvest.
Every year she’ll say, “You guys can pick them. I’ll snap and can them.” Honestly… I can’t say I blame her. The leaves make you itch, the bugs never seem to leave you alone, and by the end of the day you’re ready to be finished.
But somehow, those long afternoons have become some of my favorite memories. I can still picture my sister, my dad, and me sitting together, snapping green beans while Roseanne or NCIS played in the background. At the time, we were just trying to get through the mountain of beans in front of us.
Looking back now, I realize we were building memories we’ll laugh about for the rest of our lives.
I think that’s one of the beautiful things about gardening.
God doesn’t just use it to grow food.
He uses it to grow patience.
He teaches us perseverance when a crop fails, gratitude when another flourishes, and reminds us that His blessings aren’t always measured by the number of peaches on a tree.
Sometimes His greatest blessings are the people standing beside us in the garden.
The jars eventually empty.
The freezer slowly fills and empties again.
The garden rests until spring.
But the memories we make together… those are the harvest that lasts.
Harvesting is such a fun family time. It’s so much work, but the rewards out weigh the work.