Rewards of Gardening

There are many rewards to gardening in spite of crop failures, diseases and pests. More like humans than rocks.
Tonight we had some broth with artichoke hearts we froze last summer.
I cut the hearts out which made me appreciate the poor person who does that for a living. The worst part is your hands get sticky with resin and then poke the spines in your fingers and hands.
They really are delightful frozen in the broth and then we thawed it, cooked pasta in it and drained the broth for tomorrow's soup. It would be silly not to be amazed at eating Vermont grown artichokes in February.
Likewise the other foods we have preserved and some like potatoes, squash just kept in a cool room.
I am eager to work on the seed order. We need the ultimate disease resistant tomato because it would be hard to handle another summer like last year's blight. A reminder we are not invincible. But Oh, when the garden comes in well with a bounty of food we grew, we have to smile and be thankful for our blessings and our backaches and dirty fingernails.