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Summer abundance

I am happy to announce that as of yesterday (the Fourth of July) I won’t have to buy vegetables until October.

Yippie!!!

After being gone for the holiday weekend, I went out to the garden to find a zucchini the size of my pinkie. That was last night. By now, I’m sure, it’s the size of Door County.

It’s not much, but between the zucchini, the Swiss chard and the early onions, we should be good for a week or so until the beans come in.

It’s such a great feeling to have such an abundance of food at my fingertips. It makes me feel rich!

Speaking of abundance, I am slowing settling into reality after an amazing holiday weekend.

I was lucky to be invited to an annual Fourth of July weekend holiday party that takes place on a farm in eastern Iowa. More than fifty people—kids and adults—camped out in the big farmhouse or in tents on the lawn.

It was ridiculously idyllic. The kids fed carrots to the pony, played with the garden hose and chased fireflies. The adults watched the kids and ate.

It was amazing. Our hostess had meals planned for 50, and everything on the menu was from scratch. The bread, the eggs Benedict, the curry, the pasta, the whole hog, the collard greens … everything. With the exception of Diet Sun Drop (I never leave home without it) and Nutella (the kids never leave home without it), I don’t think we ate anything that wasn’t homemade.

We even had farm fresh eggs and homegrown honey. Seriously.

Such dedication really adds something to a party. For one, it meant you made a new friend when the two of you were assigned to pull pork or wash dishes together. And, when you’re outside playing in the heat, it just feels good to sit down and eat real food.

I’m not sure if I have the party planning skills to pull off such meals myself. Do you think you could do it?