Garden Bounty

First tomato! Yum!

A froggy in the garden

Today I will pick the first ripe tomato in my garden! This year I'm also growing peas, beans, lettuce, cukes, peppers, basil, carrots, squash, and maybe eggplants (if they get their act together), but tomatoes are why I plant a garden.

I've proposed a garden celebration book to a publisher---we'll see what happens!

If you have a surplus in your garden this year, consider what my young UU friend here is doing. She and her mom and brother stop by the farmers' market each week at the end of the day, gather donations of unsold-but-still-delicious produce, and take them to the local soup kitchen. Healthy food for the hungry, and a great way for kids to get the Big Picture.

from Mystery Vine, 2009.

Garden Time

Soggy summer here in Maine, so the garden is looking a little sad this year. Last year's bounty was inspiring, though--especially the mysterious "volunteers" that grow on their own. Last year I picked four gorgeous acorn squash that I didn't plant. Several years ago a mystery vine grew out of my compost heap, and produced 32 little pumpkins! Well, inspite of this year's meager crop, my new book, Mystery Vine, will be ready for harvest in August. 

Greenwillow Books has posted an activity page for the book here,

that includes little growing projects like these: