Chapter Nine
Sally began her harvestin earnest in July.The growing season was so short that she had only planted crops that would grow quickly.With every radish she harvested, she felt as if she was finally contributing to their little community.
It was early afternoon when she hurried to Belle’s house with two baskets of her harvest, one for Belle and one for Maggie.“There will be more, of course, but this is what was ripe this morning.It feels so good to finally be able to contribute!”
Maggie shook her head.“Think of all the rhubarb pies you baked for the store.Think of the rhubarb sauce.The things you’re doing aren’t immediate, but they will help us long term.Between the piglets and the garden, you’re doing as much work as we are, and sometimes I think more work than we are.”Maggie was getting close to her time, and she was spending the day sewing for the baby instead of foraging.
Belle nodded her agreement.“Maggie’s right.Without you, one of us would have had to garden this year, and that would have pulled us away from other things we need to do.I need to take care of Bertie, and Maggie is working to get ready for the baby.We’re not able to do as much as you are.”
“But you’ve pretty much fed Tom and me since I arrived,” Sally argued.
“And now your crops are coming in, you’ll feed us in return.And you’re growing bacon for us!”
Sally laughed.“I should have named Herbert Bacon.I think you two would have liked that better.”
“Perhaps,” Maggie said with a grin.
“I’ll harvest more tomorrow.Hopefully a lot more.What I’m really waiting for are the potatoes I’m growing.Eskimo potatoes are fine, but they aren’t nearly as good as the kind we all grew up eating.”Sally sighed.“I do miss them.”
“I was gifted some by Katie last year, but they ran out quickly.Your garden puts hers to shame.Of course, she’s also running a store so we can’t compare,” Belle said.
Sally got to her feet.“I’m going to go see what more I can harvest.I just wanted the two of you to have what I harvested this morning while it was still fresh.”
“Thank you,” Maggie said.“For all you do.”
“Oh!I almost forgot.I got a letter from Agnes this morning.She should be halfway here by now.”
“Wonderful!”Maggie said.“It’ll be good to see her.She works hard enough that we’ll add her to our little endeavor.”
Sally tilted her head to one side as she thought back to conversations she’d had with Agnes.“I know she enjoys gardening, and I think she grew up on a dairy farm.Milk and beef.”
“We’ll talk to her about it,” Belle said.“I can’t believe so many of us are marrying men here.It feels right, doesn’t it?”
“It does.”
As Sally walked back to her little farm, she imagined what it would be like to add more crops.More pigs.She wanted to do so much more than she was, but everything had to be built up.It was hard to start everything she wanted to do at once.
After harvesting all day, she went inside to clean up.She’d decided to serve a salad with spinach and radishes along with roast rabbit.When there was a lull in the harvest, she had plans to do some fishing in the river that ran along one boundary of their land.She missed fishing and eating fish.Though she knew Belle wouldn’t want it, she could serve it and share with Maggie.
Tom smiled as he walked in, seeing the fresh salad on the table.“You did some harvesting today.”
Sally nodded.“I have already given a third of my morning harvest to Belle and a third to Maggie.I’ll divide up what I harvested this afternoon for them tomorrow.How would you like salted radish slices along with your jerky for lunch tomorrow?”Tom had insisted she didn’t need to make him a lunch every day, and he would simply eat hardtack and jerky.On occasion, she would make him a lunch anyway.
“That sounds good!”He drew her to him.“You amaze me sometimes, Sally.It seems there’s nothing you can’t do.”
She grinned up at him, thrilled at his words.“It’s so freeing to be able to cook what I want and do what I want all day.You have no idea!”
He washed his hands and sat down while she served them each a plate.“This looks delicious.”
“Do you like fish?”she asked.
He nodded.“I love fish.I love to fish, and I love eating what I catch.”
“We don’t have fishing as part of what we do because Belle detests fish, but I like it, and I miss it.Let’s go fishing this weekend.I’ll pack a picnic, and we’ll make a day of it.”
“I love that idea,” Tom said.
“I received a letter from Agnes, my friend who will marry Jasper.With the dates she gave me for travel, she’ll be arriving in Ketchikan soon.”
