GARDENING

Planting Vegetables and Harvesting Joy

Community gardens and quality time

Harvesting vegetables from your garden can be a joyful and rewarding experience. Not only will you enjoy fresh, delicious vegetables, but you will also be able to spend quality time with your family and friends while harvesting them. It’s a great way to learn about gardening, nature, and healthy eating.

Vegetable gardening is an opportunity to challenge your mind and learn new skills. You can learn how to identify vegetables, properly care for them, when and how to harvest them, store them and prepare them for consumption. It’s also a great way to save money on groceries.

This article will explore some of the significant benefits of vegetable gardening and how it brings joy to my life. There are health and financial advantages as well as socialization benefits. Vegetable farming can be a win-win situation and a joyful experience!

Health Benefits of Harvesting Vegetables

Home-grown vegetables give you access to the freshest and most nutrient-rich produce by harvesting it just before you eat it. Plus, you can control how your vegetables are grown, ensuring they are free of pesticides and other chemicals if you so desire.

Gardening is a great way to connect with nature. It can be a great way to exercise outdoors and soak up vitamin D from the sun. It can also be a great way to relieve stress and escape the hustle and bustle of everyday life. You can take in your garden's beauty and appreciate the beauty of nature.

Community Gardening: The Great Harvest

Harvesting vegetables from your garden can be a great way to spend quality time and bond with friends and neighbors. It can also be a way for neighborhoods to work together in unison for a healthier lifestyle.

I have an arrangement with some friends where we each grow different fruits and vegetables and have a neighborhood swap to exchange what we harvest. A friend of mine lives in an apartment building and has no yard. She enjoys gardening, and I need help with my garden. I give her fresh fruits and vegetables in exchange for her help in my garden.

The benefits of community gardening and harvesting are immense. Firstly, sharing space opens a greater land area for gardening for all of us. Secondly, we can plant, water, and harvest the vegetables together, lightening the physical labor on each person. It’s also a fantastic opportunity to talk and connect while tending to the garden.

Food for thought: Taking care of an elderly person’s vegetable garden in exchange for half of their crop can bring joy and benefit both parties. It teaches young people ways to care for our aging population while providing the young person with cheaper, healthier food alternatives. It also gives elderly people someone who will check on them often and know when they need extra help. This can even enable an older person to stay in their home longer rather than go to a retirement home.

It can be a great way to teach children about gardening, nature, and the importance of eating healthily. Our senior population can teach the next generation from their vast knowledge and experience. People with experience harvesting crops know what works and what doesn’t. They know what vegetables to rotate in the soil and how often.

Those with experience can be the brains of the operation, and the young people can be the hands for the physical labor as they gain valuable knowledge and skills. It can also be a way to teach children about responsibility and patience.

Of course, not all older people know how to garden, and some young people have a vast knowledge of the subject. The point is to help one another in a reciprocal relationship in our areas of strength and expertise in the garden.

Quality Time with Family: Harvesting Vegetables

I recall my grandmother rarely going to the grocery store. She went every few months to stock up on basic kitchen food staples that she couldn’t grow. She was very independent and self-reliant. She didn’t have to depend on stores for much. What a wonderfully free way to live! Notice I didn’t say easy. It wasn’t anything close to being easy, but it was worth it.

I recall how hot those summers were and how hard we worked. Most of the vegetable picking was done in a solitary fashion. I began on one end of the garden. My grandmother began on the other end. Her sister began working outwards from the middle of the garden. I was younger and more energetic, but those two ladies in their 70s were twice as fast as me! They had years of muscle memory that I didn’t yet have.

Harvesting vegetables from my grandmother’s garden was an excellent time for bonding and connecting. Shelling peas and hulling beans could’ve been a very mundane task. They made it enjoyable. We shared stories, jokes, and laughter, especially at our mistakes!

I remember a time we were so busy talking that my grandmother started putting the hulls in the wrong bucket with the peas. Normally, hulls, peels, and skins go into a compost bucket. Her sister brought it to her attention, and my grandma found it hilarious. I was perplexed at why she found that so funny. But her laughter was contagious, and the next thing I remember, we were all laughing. It was a joyful time in my life.

Following the shelling/peeling of the vegetables came the washing, packaging, canning, and storage of the harvest. Working together as family, friends, and community, we can break down garden tasks and accomplish much more in less time.

The bonding doesn’t end there. Last but certainly not least was the time for exchanging recipes and cooking tips to enjoy our harvest!

There’s more than one way to peel a carrot

I’ve shared some beautiful experiences with vegetable gardening that have enriched and brought joy to my life, but I also buy from markets. My garden is small, certainly not the massive garden my grandmother planted. If everyone stopped buying vegetables from markets, hard-working farmers would be out of business. It can be just as joyful to support them and enjoy the fruits of their labor.

There’s more than one way to peel a carrot. It takes all of us, the farmers and the consumers, to make the world a healthier, more joyful place to live and thrive.

The Vegetable UFC

I thought it would be fun to bring together two things that bring me joy: Vegetables and digital images! I personified some vegetables with AI images for an ultimate fighting championship!

Welcome to the Vegetable UFC! Meet The Contenders.

Un E. Corn! In one “corner,” we have Un. E. Corn. He’s rich in vitamin C, an antioxidant that helps protect cells from damage and wards off diseases like cancer and heart disease. Yellow corn is a good source of carotenoids, lutein, and zeaxanthin, which contribute to good eye health and help prevent lens damage that leads to cataracts.

Ed, the Eggplant! He has antioxidants like vitamins A and C, which help protect our cells against damage. He’s also high in natural plant chemicals called polyphenols, which help cells do a better job of processing sugar if you have diabetes.

Bruce the Broccoli!

He’s an excellent source of antioxidants and may enhance our health by reducing inflammation, improving blood sugar control, boosting immunity, and promoting heart health.

Why Is Broccoli a Superhero? He packs a powerful punch with fiber, vitamin C, vitamin K, iron, and potassium!

Paul the Potato! He’s rich in vitamin C. He’s a long-time champion as a life-saving food source in early times because his vitamin C prevented scurvy. Another major nutrient he possesses is potassium, an electrolyte that aids in the workings of our heart, muscles, and nervous system.

Charles the Carrot! He’s the winner when it comes to beta carotene. He’s also rich in fiber, vitamin K1, potassium, and antioxidants. He’s super healthy and fights weight like a champ! He’s linked to lower cholesterol levels and improved eye health.

Al the Asparagus! He’s a lean mean fighting machine! He’s low in calories and a great source of nutrients, including fiber, folate, and vitamins A, C, and K. He’s excellent for weight loss, improved digestion, and lowering blood pressure.

Sam the Squash! He’s sure to squash the competition! He’s a good source of vitamins A, C, and B vitamins and he’s rich in minerals such as potassium, magnesium, and manganese. He’s also rich in fiber and water, making him both hydrating and good for the gut.

Archie the Artichoke! Signature move: Choke Hold. He’s all muscle! He’s low in fat while rich in fiber, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. He’s exceptionally high in folate and vitamins C and K. He also supplies essential minerals, such as magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, and iron.

Ben the Black Eyed Pea! He’s an affordable source of plant-based protein and an excellent source of fiber. He helps you feel full longer and plays a role in heart health and stabilizing blood sugar.

Glen the Green Pea! He’s full of Fiber. He helps the heart. He’s a superhero who supports the immune system. He also protects the eyes and regulates blood sugar.

Cal the Cauliflower! He’s a powerful vegetable naturally high in fiber and B vitamins. He provides antioxidants and phytonutrients that can protect against cancer. He also contains fiber to enhance weight loss and digestion, choline, which is essential for learning and memory, and many other vital nutrients.

Prince Pepper! He’s lean and low in calories and spices up the show! There’s never a dull moment with Prince Pepper in the ring! He’s loaded with good nutrition. All varieties of pepper are excellent sources of vitamins A and C, potassium, folic acid, and fiber.

Who will be the next UFC Vegetable Champion? You decide! No matter the vegetable of choice, we all win when we eat our vegetables!

Thank you for reading.

Mia Verita 2023

This has been my response to the “Vegetables bring joy to life” prompt for the fourth week of January. I hope you’ve enjoyed it. I invite other writers here to share how vegetables bring joy to your life.

Thank you to all the hard-working editors of Reciprocal, Dr. Preeti Singh, Sahil Patel, and Yana Bostongirl, for hosting this story.

Thank you, Dr. Preeti Singh, for this inspiring prompt.

Here are a few other responses to this prompt that I found inspiring.

Caroline de Braganza shared this lovely inspiring story.

Monoreena Acharjee Majumdar shared this beautiful and artistic story.

Mia Verita enjoys community gardening and sharing sweet family memories of vegetable farming. She enjoys photography, sketching, writing poetry, and sharing inspirational stories.

If you’d like to read Mia’s stories and those of other Medium members, you can join Medium using her affiliate link. She’ll receive a portion of the membership fee at no additional cost to you.