Law of the Harvest

tomatoes in our yard

Cherry tomatoes picked fresh from the vine are like nature's candy to me.  Our large tomato plant has not been very good this year, but the cherry tomatoes are poppin' out every day with flavor that makes my lips smack and my palate yearn for more.  Next year I'm not going to even bother with the larger tomatoes but will be satisfied with what looks to me like a summer version of a Christmas tree: a big green leafy vine bent over it's supports with many tiny red orbs.

Be not deceived; 

God is not mocked:

for whatsoever a man soweth,

that shall he also reap.

Galatians 6:7

Dr. Charles Stanley has 30 Life Principles about which he preaches often.  Life Principle Number 6 says, "You reap what you sow, more than you sow, and later than you sow." This applies to all of us, whether we are Christians or not, in our behavior, our banking, our gardens -- anything.  I think about it when I pull the luscious tomatoes off the vines and pop them into my mouth.

Somebody pushed a tomato seed into the soil.  A single seed.  In time it sprouted and grew, and eventually became big enough to sell at our local nursery.  I bought the plant and gave it a  home in an old wood whiskey barrel in a sunny spot of our back yard.  More time passed, along with daily sunshine and regular watering.  Small yellow flowers began to appear, followed by tiny green globes that grew bigger and turned red.  Many red tomatoes waited to be picked.  More tomatoes continue to pop out even though only one plant was put into the barrel.   

Each bite into these tiny fruits reveal a number of seeds inside each one;  every single one has many times more seeds inside of it.  I am reaping much MORE than I planted, and months LATER than planted.  But I am receiving tomatoes -- which is what the original seed was.  The Law of the Harvest.

As I grow older, I can look back over my life and what I know of the lives of others to see this same principle in action.  We all have some irresponsible or objectionable seeds that we have planted and suffered the resulting crops.  We also have good habits that are proving themselves beneficial with the passage of time.

It's never too late to plant good seeds in our lives.  Some of them reach harvest time pretty quickly while others will take longer, or may not be evident until we are long gone.  All I know is that this Law of the Harvest is profound and I want to make the best of it now for the good of myself, my family, my friends, and certainly for the good of God's Kingdom.

Zerving Zucchini

That delightful time of year has arrived when we have to lock our car doors to ensure nobody will leave their excess zucchini on the car seat.  Last week we harvested enough zucchini that I made the decision to pull out the remainder of the vines for the trash truck.  I'm not sure if there is a law against that, so please don't tell anybody what I did.    

We left a Walmart bag with some of our produce on the front porch of Girlfriend-Next-Door, and she reciprocated with a bag of cherry tomatoes from her mini-farm.  

This evening we had a homemade soup made with some of our veggies.  I am sharing the recipe with you because even on the Internet, zucchini is the gift that keeps on giving.

Zucchini Pepper Beef Soup

2 Tablespoons olive oil

1 chopped onion

1 bell pepper (any color)

1/4 pound ground chuck

4 cups fresh zucchini, chopped into cubes (leave the skin on)

15 oz stewed tomatoes

1 cup chopped carrots

4 cups beef stock

2 cups water

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon Lawrey's Seasoned Salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

In a 6-quart stock pot heat the oil on medium high heat and then brown the onions and bell pepper.  Cook till they are soft.  Add the ground chuck and continue cooking until the meat is no longer pink.  Add zucchini and carrots, cooking and occasionally stirring for 5 minutes.

I like to combine all of the dry seasonings on top
of the tomatoes while still in the can.

Add tomatoes, water, stock, and seasonings.  Turn the heat to high and bring the soup to a boil; then reduce the heat to low and simmer for 25 minutes.

Onions, peppers,  and beef are browning before the liquids were added.

Dinner is served.

Our menu was the soup, homemade whole wheat bread with margarine, fresh grapes, and iced tea.  This was a warming soup, both in temperature and in spiciness.