Green beans

Yesterday I took the children across the park to a community garden in our neighborhood.  Although we have had nothing to do with the garden, our own garden being along the front walk, our neighbors have had a bounteous harvest and offered us green beans.  Blythe loves green beans so I didn't want to pass up the opportunity to have fresh beans to eat (and maybe can or freeze).  There were three long rows of beans and I was told I should take all that were available.  

So we went off to pick.  The children's interest in picking lasted approximately fourteen and a half seconds, and then they were off to explore the rest of the garden and the adjoining yards.  I was in for the duration.  It took me all of about six and a half minutes to realize how grateful I am that I am not a migrant worker and that my job every day isn't to harvest fruit and vegetables.  I was bent over the rows of beans, looking under leaves for the veg, and I was quickly aware that there is no comfortable way to harvest food growing on the ground.  Bent over my back began to hurt, then my hips, then my knees.  I tried several positions--knees bent, legs spread apart, legs close together, crouched down--none of them felt good.  Although it wasn't a particularly hot day I almost instantly had sweat dripping off the end of my nose as I was bent over, and I began to wonder if the beans, as fresh and lovely as they were, were worth it.  

I picked until I reached the end of the rows and I came away with two grocery sacks full of beans.  Today I drizzled some with olive oil, smeared them with garlic, salt and peppered them and then roasted them on high heat in the oven.  Delicious!  They were totally worth my reaping efforts.  But I think I will look at the produce I purchase in the grocery store in a different light from now on.  Someone, likely a poor someone trying to make his or her life better, went to a lot of effort to bring that lettuce, beet, squash, or parsnip to my plate.  And I rejoice in the bounties of the summer, the fresh produce that seems to overflow local fruit and vegetable stands as well as our own garden in the front yard.  Such yummy, yummy eating.