The heartbreaking end of harvest

We said our last goodbyes to Mary Anne and Freehome Gardens. It will be a hard Wednesday habit to break. Every week, we were so excited of the bounty given to us. The colors, the freshness, the taste of these vegetables were just uncomparable. Each Wednesday, I'd call Eric on the way from Mary Anne's, with giddy excitement, explaining all that we were about to prepare for the week. What was new; what was the last of the offerings; what was to be enjoyed immediately that night. Quite literally, I couldn't even contain my enthusiasm for a twenty minute car ride home, hence the necessity of the call to home.

We should have known the 'end' was coming. North Georgia just received two back-to-back nights of subfreezing temperatures. Mary Anne explained that some veg will survive a one night freeze, but two nights simply knocked out those tender vines.

As I walked through the fields, you capture the sense of loss, the grieving that Mary Anne speaks of. To tend to your land all year, keeping vigil during the heat wave, and nuturing these plants through the current drought, its all gone within a matter of forty-eight hours. As disappointed and hurt as Mary Anne is, and frankly, if you love her veg as much as we do, your heart aches just as equally. However, it is remarkable the land takes advantage of the winter to heal itself and prepare for spring's bounty. The barren rows will soon yield a new crop of greens come Spring. It is a bittersweet goodbye, this Saturday afternoon, however we've certainly ended the season on a high note. Lovely green tomatoes, rattlesnake green beans, peppers, green onions, collards, and yes, to my excitement, the last of the sweet potatoes.

We fully warned Mary Anne to watch out for a black Toyota Paseo slowly cruising down Trinity Church Road in the next sixteen weeks. It's habit, afterall. Or maybe an excuse.... to see Harold and her tending to the earth... or planting.... or even to catch a glimpse of an emerging seedling. That little (green) ray of hope, that Spring will soon be here, to yield a whole new set of crops.

Thank you to Mary Anne and Harold, the best 'parents' any vegetable could ask for.