Tuesday, September 3, 2013

U-Pick

There is something to be said about knowing where your food comes from. One thing that we have absolutely loved about living in Washington is the abundance of fresh produce that is grown locally. We have a huge garden plot in the Cheney community garden where we have successfully grown tomatoes, green beans, peas, peppers, broccoli, cauliflower, zucchini, carrots,and a variety of squash. It has been a ton of work, trying to get that garden going while at the same time renovating our house, finishing grad school, and packing and moving. But now that life has slowed down a bit we are so glad that we put in the work early on. Almost every day I load Tater Bug into the bike trailer and ride across town to the garden. We pull weeds and harvest whatever produce is ready. Tate loves exploring while I work. Then I take Tate to the park nearby and she plays while the garden is watered. It has been worth the hard work to eat fresh veggies at every meal.




In addition to our garden, our new house that we have has pear, apple, and plum trees. We also have a very productive grape vine growing on out back porch. We have enjoyed the fruit trees, but they were pretty much neglected all Spring when we were fixing up the house. We have a lot to learn about taking care of them so that next year we have a better harvest.














A few weeks back we went to Carver Farms, just north of Spokane, for some strawberry and raspberry picking.  OH MY! They let you eat as much as you want while you are in the fields, and they you pay for however much you take with you. Let me tell you, there is nothing better than a sun soaked berry. Warmed by the heat of the sun they just explode in your mouth! We went with Erik's two sisters and their families. It was such a blast in such a beautiful setting. Tate ate and ate and ate berries, she knew just how to pick the good red ones. (Subsequently she had diarrhea for days after, but I would say it was worth it!) IT has been so amazing to see Tate develop and learn about where her food is coming from. She watches me work in the garden and knows just how to help. She can pick out the veggies and fruits and knows what is good to eat in the garden, it is just amazing to watch her love for the outdoors.