Being thankful

Thu. Nov. 26, 2020

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Being thankful

It’s Thanksgiving. Normally I would wish you a full house and a full belly, but it’s different this year. So, I will wish you a full belly and a full HEART.

A heart of gratitude for the blessings you have and those to come. As you gather around Zoom or FaceTime or Google Duo, I pray you see those you love eating all those foods that bring back the light and warmth of Thanksgivings past and FUTURE. The Science behind Gratitude… 

I found out after I recorded this Garden Bite that I tested positive for Covid-19. I am incredibly grateful that I had very mild symptoms as did my roommate. I can’t see my family in person but am so grateful that I will not infect them. I’ll be out of quarantine by this writing but I wanted to share with you. I wear a mask, I social distance, I do what I can and will continue to follow science. This isn’t preaching, just sharing. I can’t tell you how much you all mean to me. I may not know you in person but I LOVE being able to share my love of gardening with you all. I’m thankful for YOU!!!!

With so many joining the gardening game this year, you are likely using those herbs you grew, the sweet potatoes, the bounty of vegetables you harvested and stored. I have my tarragon and rosemary I’m using. Friends brought me sweet potatoes and carrots, green beans and kale. 

425 degrees for 30 mins

I happen to like homemade pumpkin pie, the kind made from mashing up real pumpkins you baked!  I like the texture but you can use a food processor too.

As for decorations, well, if you’ve grown ornamental grasses, then bring some into the house, add some red twigged dogwood, (I have some yellow-twigged) and some gnarly looking branches you found scattered in your yard, add some evergreen and tie some string and/or ribbon and you have a simple but elegant centerpiece.

Miscanthus ‘Klieine Fountaine’ Nov. 2019 photo by Teri Knight

You could spray paint those branches!  Some berries may still be clinging to your Mountain Ash or Viburnums, harvest some of those branches and place in your centerpiece. But don’t eat them! Some of those berries are not only icky tasting but can be poisonous.

Mostly, today is a day to give thanks, even in these difficult times. Our lives may feel in flux, on hold or maybe there’s been illness. Reach out to each other, offer help if you can. If you need help, ask for help. God bless you all.