Last year at this time, fruit was falling from the trees faster than we could pick it. The old abandoned apple across the road that was breaking bows under the juicy weight now stands solemn with one lonely apple. Noticing these cycles just reminds me that there are fruit years and there are root years, there are times to work outward and times to go in, as is said through many faiths, there is an in breath and an out breath to all life, each as important as the other. I may miss the baskets overflowing with sun ripened bounty, but I am not in mourning as there are so many other things to reap and process, both inside and out this year.
digging roots
My garden has been slower, more steady some how this year, struggling in ways, longing for more sweet rain water, but self-sufficient in other ways it hadn’t been in the past. My composting, de- weeding, cultivation and care are now showing an independence and more resourceful roots. inseparable am I from my eathern ground, this growth is reflected inside my own being too. Now 2 years into motherhood and finally finding a stride, after much heavy watering and tilling up inside, this earthen woman is setting roots and showing signs of another bloom.
growing up
So in the spirit of gathering, swapping and sharing ourselves and our harvests, as our work, our hearts our offering the Harvest Swap is on this year. It is an opportunity to meet each other where we are, for us to gather what we have in excess and receive what we may be needing. This effort is to celebrate the wealth we have collectively and shift ourselves from an independence to an interdependence.
gathering together
I come forth with herbs, both wild and grown, maybe because the medicine I need is in them and encouragement to slow down the coffee pot and sip more tea!! What is it that you have been tending and reaping this year, what do others have that you need? Can’t wait to swap and share, grow and gather in our inner and inter wealth and gratitude. Sign up for this year’s harvest swap here.
“In these times of hyper capitalism, it is a radical act to harvest apples from my yard, preserve them and trade them for eggs with my neighbor down the street, to rely on each other in place of the current systems. [The swap] stimulates the part of us that remembers those bygone times when economies of scale and self-reliance were the norm. The part of us that knows that social capital via community connections are at a premium in times of social, ecological and economic turmoil.”- Sarah Ghoirse Harvest Swap 2012
