The Fruits of My Labor

It’s always hard to come back from vacation.  Such escapes are always so needed, so welcomed, and so fun.  In the back of my mind, I know once I get home my feet will hit the pavement running.  So, the vacation is that much more cherished.

On the drive back, I started making lists in my mind of things I need to do, projects I want to accomplish, and the back to school shopping I need to tackle.

And then my beloved garden popped in my head.  It’s become a project that keeps on giving.    A dear friend of mine tended to our garden while we were away, and I am so grateful.  And suddenly I was excited to get home, and check out my crop, and see what was ready for me to pick.

There was a lot!

I came home to a basket full of tomatoes, beautiful red bell peppers, a slew of green beans, and more jalapeños than I know what to do with.   We even have a tiny pumpkin on the vine.

While I was picking all the fruits of my labor, I started thinking about the very start of this garden.

I went from this:

To this:

So, needless to say, yesterday was a day of cooking.  It was a day of huge satisfaction, as I was cooking with fruits from my garden.

I decided to roast the tomatoes and made a delicious Roasted Tomato, Tomato Salsa.  Click here for the recipe.

I also made a Roasted Tomato Marinara Sauce.  Click here for the recipe.

Working on this garden has been such a pleasure.  I have made notes on the successes I have had, and the plants that I planted too many of and need to cut back on next year (zucchini).

I planted my first garden I’ve ever grown this year, and it has been a success.  I’m looking forward to planning out next year’s garden, but for now, I’m going to keep enjoying the fruits of my labor from this year.