It’s nearly September and we are at the peak of the growing season. We recently filled our hay shed with round bales, enough to last the alpacas and goats through the winter and well into next year’s growing season. We also have an abundance of fresh vegetables from our CSA share grown organically by a local family.

I have fond memories of gardening as a young girl. I had the privilege of spending many weeks at my grandma and grandpa’s farm. Grandma grew beautiful flower gardens as well as a massive vegetable garden. She spent hot summer days tending the gardens and preserving the bounty they produced. Having raised nine children during the Great Depression, a well-stocked root cellar was vital to her family's survival.

She and my grandfather had an orchard on their farm and Grandpa was a beekeeper. I remember the hives sitting in the grove of apple, crab apple, and plum trees, next to the acres of gardens. It was at an early age that I learned to respect bees, and I’ve always enjoyed the sweet golden honey the busy bees produce. 

As a young mother, I carried on the gardening tradition, sharing a large back-yard garden with my father-in-law. We grew the traditional vegetables. We also experimented with less common crops such as popcorn, poppies, celery, brussels sprouts, and horseradish. My father-in-law grew up during the Depression and also raised a large family. They relied heavily on the massive amounts of vegetables that he produced in his gardens.

My children helped in the garden from the time they could walk. Sweet young peas rarely made it to our table. Often they were eaten fresh from the pods, right there between the garden rows. 

“From Blossoms to Beehives” was inspired by these experiences. This book is intended to illustrate the critical role that bumble bees play in our food chain. The story takes us through the growing seasons, where Grandma raises and preserves food for the animals and her family.

Grandma uses natural methods for fertilizing and growing crops, as I have always avoided the use of chemicals in the garden, favoring weeding and mulching to build up the soil and suppress weeds.

Although my grandchildren are a few years away from being old enough to help with raising and harvesting crops, I cherish their visits to the farm. 

I look forward to the days they’ll be hanging out in the fields and meadows with me, tending the crops, and learning about the important role that bees play, as we do our part in taking care of the environment while preserving the food chain.

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