My Kitchen Counter

This is a photo of my kitchen counter last year on this day. To me, it’s a satisfying image that brings comfort to my anxious spirit.

I’m not canning as much as I have in recent years. Rather, I’m relying more on my freezer to preserve the harvest and the bounty we get from the green grocer. I’ve also decided (and this is big) that I’m going to stock up on tinned tomatoes and use them instead of canning a hundred or so pounds of them this year.

This morning there’s a container of chocolate cupcakes Makiya made on my counter instead of canning jars. Seasons change. I’m going to roast the rest of the tomatoes from my garden, and buy a case or two of Roma’s and roast them too (they’re so flavourful done this way). Then, I’m calling it done.

This week we’ll pull the cucumber vines and decide whether to pick the rest of the tomatoes and let them ripen indoors. I often do this as a safeguard against theft, I’m sorry to have to say. There’s still lots of Swiss chard that will see us through until frost, same with carrots. It’s turning into soup time, and these will fit the bill nicely.

I’m weary of gardening and canning and ready for change. We’ll enjoy this week with Makiya and then settle into fall regardless of what the calendar says.

Lord, it’s already heavy. Help us keep our focus on what truly matters in the coming months.