This year’s garden bounty welcomed at Thanksgiving table

With so much snow on the ground and temperatures hovering around zero, last summer’s garden is just a memory. All the green, tender things are gone and under the frozen crust are only frostbitten remains. Only a few hardy herbs are peeking through the snow on the wine barrel in which they are planted. Just a couple of weeks ago I celebrated the last of the harvest by frying up the few green tomatoes still clinging to the vines and making a pot of soup with all the odds and ends - more of my herbs, chard, the tiny broccoli heads that had survived the first frost and a few onions I’d picked late. I added turnips, a gift from a friend, and the remains of a pot roast. It was a hearty way to say goodbye to one season and hello to another. But Thursday, when we gather for our Thanksgiving meal, there will be at least one more trace of what I planted late last spring: two tiny pumpkins. They will be the centerpiece of our Thanksgiving table. Nestled in a basket lined with an old linen cloth I picked up at an antiques store in Biloxi (You can read more about the vintage linens on my Spokesman-Review Treasure Hunting blog here.) I know that on the surface, it’s a silly thing to be proud of. But looking at the pumpkins I remember the pride and excitement of watching the vine grow and blossom and bear fruit. In my eyes, the tiny pumpkins are a metaphor for the happiness and gratitude of gathering my family around the table. No one will know that but me, of course. I can only imagine the rolled eyes if I were to say it out loud. But, there you have it. Seeds are planted, love grows and gratitude is the centerpiece of the season.