Abundance
Just before the predicted hard frost on Saturday night, Kevin went out to the garden with an old banana box and came back with these treats. We already have peppers and tomatoes galore, so I was glad to find some vegetable lovers at our hymn sing Saturday evening.
Every time I see something like this, I am amazed again at the grace of God, who made all these things to sustain us, to give us enjoyment, - and to bring Him glory. How can we not offer Him a heart of gratitude. Look at the variety of color, shape, texture, and taste! For us? We who continually set our hearts on everything else but God?
Clockwise, from left: Thyme, Aloe, Lavender, Rosemary, Basil, Lavender, Oregano, Parsley
Most of these plants I've been able to winter over in the past - with the exception of basil. Bethany informed that the reason I had no success with my basil project last year is that basil is an annual. So parsley and rosemary must not be annuals? I really need to look these things up. Most years, I dig up my herbs which flourish all summer in the garden and start to die bit by bit in the winter, but they just manage to limp along until spring - when I can set them outdoors once again. We'll see what happens this year.
Lionel and Tuppence will miss their windowseat, but they will definitely enjoy the newly-arrived 'salad bar.'
Tuppence, with fewer options at last year's salad bar
P.S. The hymn sing (last Saturday evening) was such a great time for friends to get together and praise God in song! I'm already looking at October's calendar...
♫♪
Now thank we all our God, with heart and hands and voices,
Who wondrous things has done, in Whom this world rejoices;
Who from our mothers’ arms has blessed us on our way
With countless gifts of love, and still is ours today.
O may this bounteous God through all our life be near us,
With ever joyful hearts and blessèd peace to cheer us;
And keep us in His grace, and guide us when perplexed;
And free us from all ills, in this world and the next!
All praise and thanks to God the Father now be given;
The Son and Him Who reigns with Them in highest Heaven;
The one eternal God, whom earth and Heaven adore;
For thus it was, is now, and shall be evermore.
Who wondrous things has done, in Whom this world rejoices;
Who from our mothers’ arms has blessed us on our way
With countless gifts of love, and still is ours today.
O may this bounteous God through all our life be near us,
With ever joyful hearts and blessèd peace to cheer us;
And keep us in His grace, and guide us when perplexed;
And free us from all ills, in this world and the next!
All praise and thanks to God the Father now be given;
The Son and Him Who reigns with Them in highest Heaven;
The one eternal God, whom earth and Heaven adore;
For thus it was, is now, and shall be evermore.
Amen.
***
'But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him! For if, when we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! Not only is this so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.' - Romans 5:8-11
Yes, a beautiful box of color. Do your cats eat the herbs? Or, just get the dirt all over the place.
ReplyDeleteWow.. what a great bounty of veggies you have!! Glad you got them before the cold hit... can't believe the differences in weather between you and I.. we are still seeing temps in the low 100's/high 90's!! No worries of frost here!
ReplyDeleteHave any 'parsley' in that garden stash? lol
ReplyDeletethat is a beautiful box of veggies. we saw a news show a couple weeks ago, a woman is driving a van into the places in our country where people are starving, and giving them fresh produce like this, she parks and they come and she gives them bags of it. the thing is they have never had these things and did not know how to cook them or with them. so now she gives cooking lessons so they know what to do with it. and this in in our own country. i was totally shocked.
ReplyDeleteOh, that produce is gorgeous! I planted a tiny lavender plant in a barrel out front a few years ago, along with the usual annual flowers. I didn't expect it to over-winter but it does. It's now huge. I've also had rosemary do that but it bit the dust during last summer's drought and extreme heat. I'm planning to start some herbs in my kitchen window over the winter then hopefully transplant them outdoors next spring. I hope mine turn out to be as beautiful as yours. I love cooking with herbs so I'm looking forward to growing my own.
ReplyDeleteWhat an amazing bounty!! Your friends sure are lucky t partake in your garden.
ReplyDeleteI love this post! We should all be so grateful every day for our blessings! That first picture makes me want to eat some delicious veggies. That is something I need to do more of. Have a great day!
ReplyDeleteMama Hen
I was thinking of doing the same thing with my herbs this year. Glad to know about the basil. That was a big box harvested!!
ReplyDeleteLovely, crunchy, and colorful, a great harvest. And the cats must love the smell of the herbs when they brush by them.
ReplyDeleteJen @ Muddy Boot Dreams
We are at that point too. Need to go clean out the garden. We haven't had a killing frost yet, but it is so cool here I don't think the tomatoes are going to ripen on the vine.
ReplyDeleteTyme, Lavender, Parsley and Oregano are all perennials. The Aloe and Roasemary are what is termed "tender perennials". Meaning they are only perennials in their favored climate, so they are usually treated as annuals. Basil is a true annual. We have grown tyme, parsely and oregano in our herb garden. Tyme is very hardy, the oregano not so much, it made it through a few winters and then died. The lavender is also very hardy, we have it planted in the flower beds. Rosemary is very picky, even outside in the summer it doesn't always do well for us, you must have found a good spot for it!
Of course, the nice thing about bringing plants in, is you have fresh herbs all winter!
So true. We could simply be nourished by far less, but we've been given this endless variety purely for enjoyment. How grand is that!
ReplyDeleteJudy, what a beautiful post...and what a glorious God we have. Tender hearted and loving. I loved the hymn & all. Thank you for the blessing...
ReplyDeleteYou know when I see a box of fruit like that - I can't help but think of God and what a Master painter and artist he is.
ReplyDeleteGlad you had fun at your Hymn sing!
What a beautiful box of veggies...so bright and colorful!
ReplyDeleteLove all the vegetables you were able to still collect from your garden! My mother goes to a hymn sing once a month with a group from church. They love it! They sing hymns and then gather to have a nice lunch together. So cute looking at your little one wrapped like that. My hubby used to wrap our son like that and sit with him for the longest time after his bath, not our daughter. She was too busy wanting to get dressed and play. But our son loved to cuddle! Enjoy!
ReplyDeleteVery lovely herbs and veggies. I love the fragrance of fresh herbs. I also enjoyed the lyrics of the hymn. Wishing you a blessed weekend.
ReplyDeleteLooks yummy, and beautiful.
ReplyDeleteOh, what gorgeous bounty! Truly, gifts from God ... :)
ReplyDeleteYou had such a good garden this year! Enjoy your weekend! Hugs!
ReplyDelete"Though parsley is technically a perennial, it usually goes to seed in its second year and so is grown as an annual."
ReplyDeleteRosemary is a perennial, but I think it's a little finicky up here.