Horseradish & Honey

Musings of an organic gardener in Cincinnati

Garden Musings

Finding Religion in my Garden

December 3, 2020
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Ack! I went back and forth, and back and forth, and back and forth some more with the title.

The voice in my head was questioning everything. Religion? Really, Sarah?

Yes, really.

Remember when I shared that my religion is nature? I’ve known that for a long time. Nothing brings me closer to myself and my world and those who have shaped me than gardening.

Spirituality & Gardening

The garden is where I go when I’m upset. It’s where I go when I’m happy. It’s where I go to take a break. It’s where I go to do nothing. It’s where I go to procrastinate. It’s where I go to figure things out.

When I’m in the garden, I meditate. I think and overthink. I cry. I laugh. I talk to myself along with the birds, bees, flowers, plants, and my dad. I daydream. I get grounded. I find joy.  I let go.

To me, this is spirituality more than religion. But, if my religion is nature, what’s my prayer?

Growing up Jewish, Hebrew prayers never meant much to me—probably because I didn’t understand them. Don’t get me wrong. As an adult, I’m all about the tradition that comes with being raised Jewish and have an appreciation for the prayers. But I still don’t understand them.

When visiting my mom’s parents in North Carolina, we frequently started meals with “Good bread, good meat, good god, let’s eat.” No doubt this was simply to elicit a round of giggles from my brother, my sister, and me. I’m still fond of this “prayer” and have been known to start family dinners with it.

My Prayer for How I Feel in the Garden

And more than how I feel in the garden. How I feel about everything that is part of the garden? And part of me? And part of my life?

This…this is going to be my new prayer for most everything.

Emily Dickinson Quote with Wildflowers Picture

I can imagine savoring a long summer day with dinner on the deck. Not sure what I’m serving but definitely includes freshly harvested vegetables and a nice glass of wine. This prayer feels right.

Conversely, I can imagine a cold winter day with dinner inside. Again, not sure what I’m serving but probably includes slow-roasted tomatoes that were cooked and frozen at the end of summer. And a nice glass of wine because, well, wine. This prayer feels right.

Maybe more importantly, I can imagine feeling overwhelming joy or grief or contentment in the garden. And, yes, this prayer feels right.

Garden Musings

Second Freeze Warning of the Fall

November 1, 2020
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Traditionally, a blogger who has been MIA for close to a year would start by apologizing and explaining. Not me! I have not been blogging but I have been active on Instagram, and I hope you’re following me there.

So I’ll just jump right into it.

We had a freeze warning late last week but most of my garden wasn’t affected. I have a feeling tonight is going to be different. Super windy day here and the temperature is slowly going down. In addition, the overnight low is supposed to be 28°…and I feel like this may be it for the warm-seasons crops.

I harvested pounds (like 13 total) of tomatoes along with a few each of peppers and lima beans on Friday. Most of the peppers were chopped and frozen and we’ll eat the lima beans over the next week or so. I canned 6 pints of pickled green tomatoes, froze ripe tomatoes for roasting this winter, and hope to ripen a few indoors. 

In the past, I followed all kinds of crazy advice for ripening tomatoes – from pulling up and hanging an entire plant upside down to wrapping each individual tomato in newspaper and storing in a closed cardboard box. 

What I was thinking when I tried those methods?!?

You want to know what works for me? Putting tomatoes in shallow cardboard trays on the buffet in our dining room. The tomatoes aren’t touching and the trays get indirect light all day. Seems to work pretty well!

Ripening tomatoes indoors, in cardboard trays

Ripening tomatoes in cardboard trays

How to sum up this year in the garden? Coronavirus. Although it didn’t really start impacting us until March, it’s sort of hard to remember what the first couple of months were like pre-‘rona. Sure, it’s only November 1st and, while there’s a lot left to this year, putting the garden (mostly) to sleep seems like a good time to summarize some thoughts.

If I was retroactively picking a garden word of the year, I’d also add Grateful.

Why?

The garden and yard. The garden became my sanctuary even more than past years and I’m so grateful to have had the space and connection to nature throughout this year.

When I felt like it wasn’t safe to go anywhere, it was always safe to go outside to the garden. And, while it wasn’t the best garden I’ve ever had (so many chipmunks and squirrels along with really hot weather followed by cool weather and lots of rain just meant I didn’t harvest as much as usual), I’m forever grateful that I have the connection and passion to spend so many hours outside doing what I love.

Garden Musings

Bird on a Wire

November 27, 2019
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Err, maybe that should be hawk on a trellis?

I was in the middle of getting dressed (TMI, ha ha) the other day and glanced out the window. What did I see? This gorgeous red-shouldered hawk hanging out on the trellis.

Red-shouldered hawk on trellis in my garden, Horseradish & Honey Blag

So, I grabbed my camera and ran out onto the deck to take some pictures. I may or may not have had time to put on pants (now that’s really TMI). Thankfully our deck is relatively secluded.

Check out the gorgeous colors. It’s like the hawk and Mother Nature coordinated a fall photo shoot!

Close Up of Red-Shouldered Hawk on Trellis, Horseradish & Honey blog
Red-shouldered hawk looking back, Horseradish & Honey blog

Red-shouldered hawks live in Ohio year-round. From what I’ve read about these hawks, they aren’t as common as they used to be. This is mainly due to deforestation.

Garden Musings

Wordless Wednesday: Common Buckeye Butterfly

October 30, 2019
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Common buckeye butterfly - love the colors!
Common buckeye butterfly – love the colors!
Garden Musings

Wordless Wednesday: October Treasure

October 2, 2019
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Monarch butterfly chrysalis hanging on chainlink fence
Monarch butterfly chrysalis in our yard – truly a treasure
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Hello

I'm a nature-loving, dig-in-the-dirt organic gardener in the Queen City of Cincinnati (Zone 6a). Always learning, experimenting, and sharing...let's grow something!

Recent Posts

  • Finding Religion in my Garden
  • Second Freeze Warning of the Fall
  • Bird on a Wire
  • Wordless Wednesday: Common Buckeye Butterfly
  • Wordless Wednesday: October Treasure

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