Of all the things I’m growing this year, I’m most impressed with the lettuce so far. It has done so well, maybe because a couple weeks ago as the mercury started to rise I stopped weeding near it so it could get some shade.

It seems to have worked because despite the intense heat, we are now knee deep in three different kinds of lettuce!

My favorite is the buttercrunch:

I just wish the tomatoes would hurry up, but the first ones are coming along now and more are on the way…

Since you can’t really store lettuce long term, we’re eating as much as we can and I’m also sharing some with the birds.

They definitely appreciate it!

This morning I questioned whether or not it’s worth all the time, energy and cost to grow my own food when I can just go to the grocery store and buy fresh, organic stuff. Then I remembered that I’m doing this to gain the skills for self sufficiency should a time ever come that I need those skills.

Also, I really do love gardening.

Yes it’s hard work and yes, despite the rise in food prices at the store, sometimes it actually costs more to grow your own food when you factor in everything, but there’s something you get in return that just goes way beyond the ability to grow your own food.

That part’s just a bonus. A very tasty one. 🙂