At this time of year I always get a craving, one that reminds me of growing up on Marguerite Avenue.

My family had a set of gardens in the backyard. They were mostly small flower gardens but we had one large vegetable garden below the hill.

At this time of year the garden would be producing many green beans and tomatoes. The lettuce had grown out, but the potatoes and carrots were ready to dig up in about another month.

Mom had several recipes based on our garden produce. Some of my favorites were a lettuce salad with eggs and bacon, buttered green beans, sliced tomatoes, and pot roast. We also had an apple tree for most of the years my parents lived on Marguerite. The tree led to apple crisps, pies and cakes.

I had a specialized apple picker to pick the apples. It had a yellow plastic basket, a wire picking frame, and two long poles that attached together to reach almost all the way to the top of our dwarf tree.

The vegetable garden had a few specializations as well. I grew pole beans on the chain link fence. I used metal fireplace grates to protect lettuce from neighborhood rabbits.

I miss those days. Some years I grow a container garden on my side deck. I have two mums, two rows of irises and some raspberry bushes at my house, along with hostas and a clematis in the front yard, but that’s the extent of my current gardening.

That’s why I need to make it a point to get to the farmers market on Saturday mornings. I need to at least pick up some green beans and tomatoes.

There’s something special about home grown produce. It’s fresh from the garden. Everyone who grows it proves that we as humans can sill be effective when it comes to growing our own food.

Gardening needs to be a labor of love. It’s hard work. That’s the biggest thing that keeps me from getting back into it. I’m not young anymore.

The farmers market provides a good alternative. It’s also a way to hear some live music, check out baked goods and crafts, and see friends and neighbors.

I believe farmers markets are here to stay. People like them. They always draw a crowd, including some people who drive from nearby towns.

The only thing I don’t like is that the season is too short. That’s one thing that hasn’t changed. I used to miss the gardens after they froze off in the fall, after the potatoes and carrots were gathered up. I also, however, felt a feeling of satisfaction. All the work seemed worth it.

I sometimes wish I would have exhibited flowers and vegetables at the Lyon County Fair. Everybody wins at the fair even though only one person can place first in each category.

Between fair season and Farmers Markets, we have plenty of opportunities to see that gardening is still a popular pastime. It still is enjoyed by people in a wide age range.

Every year I used to take pictures of the backyard. It’s nice to have those pictures now. They bring back great memories of my past.

I think photographs, especially ones with people in them, are more appreciated as people get older. There’s more of a storehouse of remembrances, more to draw from in terms of how things were many years ago.

An album is worth a lot even in the age of computers. Photos on a screen just aren’t the same as ones we can hold in our hands and look at on pages. The realism makes it extra special.

All my writing this week about food and gardens is making me hungry. Probably the most unchanging thing about fresh produce is the taste. I’m looking forward to it. I’m eagerly awaiting the opportunity to prepare garden vegetable and then enjoy eating them.

It’s one of the things that make early fall a beautiful time of the year. September is my favorite month, the time when it begins to cool off but when summer is still in the air. I always look forward to it.

— Jim Muchlinski is a longtime reporter and contributor to the Marshall Independent