fall harvest and gardening

As we begin to think about the Holidays, I have been thinking about vegetables - not only because of all the wonderful recipes that we'll pull out in the very near future (more about that another time), but also because of the fall bounty that we think of with Sukkot. One of the things we like to do is visit local Farmers Markets and the season for the outdoor markets is coming to a close sooner than you think. It's an opportunity to buy local and fresh and feel better about what you're buying. It's also a reminder to our kids that real people grow food and it doesn't magically appear in the supermarket. More than one of the Jewish parenting books I have read suggest that raising a garden with your child(ren) is a fantastic idea. In lieu of that, at least visit a Farmers Market together! Of course, winter indoor markets are great, too, but they don't have the same magic of the warmer months, in my opinion.

I am proud to say that we planted a few veggies this year and my son happily helped us pick a monster zucchini, several bell peppers, and lovely tomatoes. Now if I could only get him to eat those particular things... But he helped water and was as excited about the yield as we were. In fact, when we had some contractors here to paint the house, he even showed them the peppers! We already have grandiose ideas about what we will plant next year. If you want to think about planting for next year to have foods for traditional meals and recipes, there's a book by Michael P. Brown (The Jewish Gardening Cookbook: Growing Plants and Cooking for Holidays and Festivals) that might be of interest. Not all the ideas are perfect for our climate, but it could motivate you to get out there and prepare your garden beds for the winter.