It was 11 degrees yesterday morning and a few hours before the cold temperature dip I picked nine more buckets of apples in a swirling snow. A few days before that, we gathered all the butternut to protect them from the frost and a few days before that we gathered the tomatoes. I love bringing in the harvest; squash, zucchini, peppers, tomatoes, rosemary, peppermint, sage and many more plants and fruits. My hands smell like rosemary, caramel apples sit on my counter and squash soup is waiting. The sight, smells and taste of the earth are joyful, warm and inviting. As a I participate in this harvesting ritual annually, I feel a sense of strength, purpose and identity.
Harvesting a garden brings a unique blend of independence, interdependence and dependence, giving me a sense of strength, in terms of the spectrum of self-reliance. Strong feelings of independence come from growing my own supply of food, and interdependence as I work with my family to till, plant, weed, fertilize and harvest. There is none so knowledgeable as a farmer of his dependence on heaven for the rain and sun; for intervention from wind and cold temperatures at critical times.
The purpose or properties of each plant bring joy, healing and delight. I love that sage tea can stop a cough, apples make natural sweeteners, and peppermint adds flavor to my smoothies. The children delight in growing pumpkins for autumn, cherries for dessert, and sugar snap peas for snacking.
The deep sense of identity comes in part from working with the fruit of my womb to care for the fruit of the earth. For more than 25 years, I’ve worked our garden with my husband and children. Watching the miracle of seeds sprout, grow, and produce, mirrors the growth that each child makes as they grow. Both children and gardens take patience, nurturing and cultivation. Identifying with this natural process gives a sense of connection of our lives to plant life.
The plants had a premortal genesis - a spiritual beginning before the physical beginning. In Genesis 2:5 it says: “And every plant of the field before it was in the earth, and every herb of the field before it grew.” We also had a premortal place before coming to earth. As William Wordsworth penned; “Trailing clouds of glory do we come from God, who is our home.” The idea that both plants and people were created spiritually then again physically here tells me there is great order and purpose. Just as the fruit “bears fruit of its kind,” so God’s children are made in his image with all the characteristics and attributes in embryo of Him. As I gather the harvest, ponder and wonder, I feel a deep sense of reverence and gratitude for the feelings of strength, purpose, and identity that come to me and feed my soul again each year.
