Who is Next Year's Garden Manager?

More of 2017 is behind us than in front of us. This has brought up some fierce questions about how, why, or if to continue our hand-harvested Food Challenge.

Back in the summer, Daniel said, “I want to keep going with our challenge in 2018.”

“Oh, so you’re volunteering to be garden manager next year?” I retorted, hands on hips. “I busted my butt to grow all that food, and I might have a few other plans for my life besides doing that again.”

In November, though, with a front hall rack full of delicious squash and spring’s toil a distant memory, continuing our challenge seems like a lovely idea. We won’t be as strict about it—eating with other people will be fine—but I got used to the idea of not going to the grocery store. I like “garden shopping.”

Where do we draw the line? How would we decide what to buy? As we get more proficient about providing our own food, other challenges open up: a hand-harvested clothes challenge, using only one car, feeding the animals from what we grow rather than buying their food.

“Okay, Daniel,” I say as I greet my husband with a tray of roasted squash. “I’m hooked. Sign me up again. But maybe just once in 2018, I’d like to go to the Thai restaurant and have spicy noodles.”