Growing Misfits

I went out to the garden tonight to cut some basil for dinner. I did a cursory look around and found a yellow squash ready to be picked. It was a Mama and baby fused together. Perfectly good to eat, but if it were at a farm it would be rejected for sale at a grocery store.

Then I noticed two very long and skinny, and spiny cucumbers. Had to pick those too. They were so prickly my fingers got stabbed. They are also so thin. They never would make the grade at a store. But despite being ugly and downright hurtful, they make the grade at my house.

Farming is heart breaking. It is hard to grow perfect looking food. But why does it need to be perfect to look at if it is perfect tasting? A yellow squash with a tailgater will not even be recognizable once I cut it up and cook it. A girthless cucumber, once peeled and chopped will make delicious gazpacho. The good news about those thin cucumbers is that they can’t have too many seeds yet.

It is best to not judge a vegetable by its looks, just like we shouldn’t judge our friends by their looks. Beauty is great, but being more than just beautiful is what is important.