Produce

The main thing people do in small town South Dakota in the summer is grow fruit trees and vegetable gardens. We don’t have the time or space set aside for a garden, but we do have one mature apple tree and another growing up, as well as two baby cherry trees. Yes these actually produce edible fruit. The mature apple tree produces big yellow apples that are great for applesauce and other mushed-apple recipes. Last year we made apple butter. This year it was 16 pints of apple sauce. That ought to keep the babies supplied with their favorite snack for a while.

About a month ago Zac came home from a play date with a shoebox full of cherries and the promise that if we wanted more, all we had to do was pick them ourselves. About a week later, during a breezy, clear-sky afternoon, Zac, Bethany and I did just that. While the birds were eating the cherries in the top of the tree and we were picking from the bottom, Zac was fretting about how many they would eat. I took a golden opportunity to explain to him how God provides for all his creatures and makes plenty for everyone to share. That “plenty for everyone to share” has come true. The gardens are overflowing this year, and we have had people bring green onions, chives, cucumbers, potatoes, baby green beans, corn, and zucchini. Soon the tomatoes will be ready, and who knows what else will appear at our back door. It’s a wonderful place to live where friends and neighbors share their bounty with each other, and the children know that produce really doesn’t come from the store.