The problem with harvest time

One of my favourite times of the year is when my teeny tiny little garden is bursting with an abundance of lush growth. Watching my sparse little seedlings flourish into dense and voluptuous foliage makes me beam like a proud mommy.

The result is that I don't have the heart to pick anything from the garden. I try to prolong this feeling of abundance for as long as possible. So instead of anyone deriving any benefit from the plants, everything just ends up dying and returning to the earth to fertilise the next little crop.

But I realise that this is wrong and terribly wasteful. So I have undertaken to start harvesting soon. I am bracing myself for the sight of a very sad bare garden on the one hand, but a very fragrant kitchen on the other.

Lemon thyme

Origanum- long past their ideal harvest time. These leaves are tastiest just before the plant starts to flower

Mint

A lone little rosemary tree

Whatever will I do with all this celery!!

A previously lush spinach patch looking rather sad after being harvested for spinach sauce

Parsely- so pretty