It's time.

"There is a special time for everything. There is a time for everything that happens under heaven. There is a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pick what is planted." Ecclesiastes 3

It's time to say goodbye to the plants we put in the ground this past spring.  What a learning experience the garden has been this summer!  We learned that cucumbers need lots (and lots) of water to grow.  Did you know that cucumbers can grow up anything, even a wall?  We learned that tomatoes do not grow well when watered from above.  Tomato plants like to be watered close to the stem and straight into the soil.  If you don't their leaves will turn blackish brown.  We learned that Ms. Becky doesn't like the smell of cilantro.  We learned that our red bell peppers take weeks to turn from green to red and we are not very patient.  The experience of planting, tending and harvesting the garden this summer has been a wonderful time of discovery for both the children and myself. 

Since the last week of June, we have donated about 75 pounds of cucumbers to the Forest Park Ministry Center.  (That's like 5 of our Rainbow babies combined!)  We've also donated tomatoes, peppers, cilantro and even the itty bitty eggplants to the families that come there for their physical needs to be met.  Meeting their physical needs with food from our garden opens the door for their spiritual needs to be met also.  For me the best part of this process is knowing that our children have a small part in helping people make big changes in their lives.  And we're not finished yet...did you know that carrots grow in the fall?  They do and we're going to give it a try.  Stay tuned.