Work for weeks and then the harvest begins

I made one of many walks through the garden, my heart was filled with joy and my back began to ache.  The garlic is ready to dig, string beans have a few ready to pick, tomatoes need to be tied up and there is always vegetation which needs to be pulled.  The cucumbers, melons and climbing squash are waiting for me to start training the runners.  The climbing spinach is still finding its way to the arbors.  The pole beans are climbing higher and higher, maybe this year will be the one we will have a tall, really tall bean plant.

Along with all of this, I am starting more seeds for the late garden.   Planting potatoes for a later harvest and walking onion sets are being planted as soon as I find them.  The voles have really made their homes under my onion beds, which accounted for my not having a harvest this year.

All of the above was one week ago.  Now the garlic is clean and in a basket, picking a few tomatoes. pinching the pole beans as soon as they reach the top of the wires and daily bringing in green beans from the bush bean plants.  Never fear there are others who enjoy the garden as much as I do.  My peanut plants have been pruned. the cabbage and broccoli plants in one bed became a late night snack for someone.

The potatoes are coming up really good and I almost feel like a farmer.  The tomatoes are coming out of the cages, showing a promise of a good harvest.  I am picking peppers and watching the blackberries.  The wild ones are red and the thornless ones are growing.  I love sneaking into the garden and finding a handful of raspberries ready to eat.  The child comes out in me and I want to find more.  I am thinking there will be okra this year as the plants are looking strong and have been mulched with goat jelly beans.  Once again I am going to try corn.  The early corn came up very sadly.  My soil is still hard pan in a lot of areas.  I keep working on the soil but my garden is about 1/3rd of an acre, that is a lot of soil to add richness to; however, the goats are busy and so are the ladies.

A couple of weeks have passed and now the harvest is good, Green beans aka snaps are coming in by the small basket, the canning has begun.  Mr. Bootsie has taken his position in front of the canner to watch the pressure gauge and set the timer.  He has canned one canner of string beans and this was his second canning.  This is supper on a cold winter's night.  We will add a little bacon or ham when the beans are being properly prepared.  This jar will fill 2 of my soup
bowls, which we call Grandma's soup bowl as they are Mr. Bootsie's delightful grandmother's bowls.