Gleaning the Summer Garden

October 30th gleaning yielded bell peppers, sweet banana peppers, small eggplants, green beans, butterbeans, tomatoes, okra, and field peas. Even as the summer garden ends, it still gives enough to make meals. This is why I'm always reluctant to put the garden to bed. We've had light frosts and it won't be long before a hard freeze comes along to make the butterbean vines wither and blacken. There are many flowers and green pods out there at present. I fight with the sunset to pick during the week and the very chilly mornings on the weekends. The winter vegetables are growing vigorously. The blue-stemmed collards that survived summer's harlequin bug infestation truly are resplendent. So, there will be some fresh produce this winter. And every last bit of what the summer garden strives to yield will be tucked into a jar, a drawer, a freezer shelf for those dark and cold winter nights to become steamy meals that bring back the warmth of such a happy season.