There’s just something about sunflowers and pumpkins that means summertime to me. I used to plant a full garden every year with tomatoes, corn, beans, melons, lettuce, strawberries. . . and sunflowers and pumpkins. Gardening is a lot of work, and I love it for the first few weeks. Then it becomes a chore.
I discovered that I enjoy shopping the farmer’s markets better than gardening. The selections are amazing, even more than I would have grown, plus I get to visit with neighbors, colleagues, listen to local musicians and enjoy the community that is the farmer’s market. It is a nice way to spend a Saturday morning. I love strolling from booth to booth, talking to the vendors, sampling the various types of fruits, trying out homemade breads, sniffing the marvelous floral varieties, visiting with friends I haven’t met yet, and friends I’ve known for years.
As an accountant I’ve figured this is cheaper than the cost of hours spent in the garden, tools, supplements for the plants, and, OMG, the cost of watering. . . so, if no other way, I can justify my lack of desire to have a full garden as being cost efficient. Yeah, that’s it. It is cost efficient. And I’m supporting local farmers. So it’s all good.
But, I can’t live a summer here in Oregon without growing my own sunflowers and pumpkins. This year instead of the mammoth sunflowers which I love growing, I planted dwarfs which I can keep in pots on my porch closer to me. They are so beautiful. . . golden heads haloed by deep green leafs nestled in burgundy ceramic pots.
As far as pumpkins go, I normally pick smaller varieties that I can use in cooking. But this year I changed it up. I bought some smaller ones, plus the Jack-o-lantern variety. This should be fun. I love how their vines sprawl across the dirt, orange flowers open to the sun and evolving into gourds that will become my pumpkin chariot into autumn.
Oooo, I better go shopping for some glass slippers. I wanna be ready when my pumpkins arrive.
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