Baseball and Broccoli

by Gail Balentine

One of my favorite things about New England is that we have four seasons. Our routines are by necessity varied and so with each season we develop rituals. Summer is a time to be more relaxed, travel if possible, spend time with family and friends, enjoy. Fall brings cooler weather, deeper colors, reflections, and sends us back to school, work or projects. Winter has wonderful holidays and a slower pace due to ice, snow and cold.

Ah, but spring? Spring is in a class of its own. After the long frosty winter, spring brings the return of energy, renewed hopes, walks outside, new beginnings, and the emerald green of grass and leaves.

To my daughter, spring specifically means two things: gardens and baseball. Which is more important? Hard to say. They are both long-time loves through winning and losing seasons, abundant crops and less spectacular produce. The end result of both is important, yes, but for her participation is life-enhancing.

She tolerates the cold of February by making a holiday out of when, outside of Fenway Park on Van Ness Street, the Boston Red Sox’ equipment truck gets loaded and departs for Fort Myers, Fla. She’s always part of the competition for tickets and her brother snags a game for her each year. Sweatshirt and baseball caps for the home team will be dusted off and schedules worked around important games.

Along with baseball fever comes garden fervor. Out comes her garden notebook and she reviews notes on what she grew last year, draws on graph paper what space she will need this year, and orders her seeds. It’s a family affair. She and her husband tour the back yard with a critical eye toward what needs repair and replacement. He and their son will do that work, as well as build shelves inside to hold starter plants and grow lights.

As spring evolves into summer, broccoli, tomatoes, peppers, green beans, strawberries, peas, radishes, asparagus, herbs and flowers will be harvested. Strawberry jam will be made in June, pickles in July. She generously shares produce and lets nothing go to waste – including what seems to be huge amounts of zucchini that she swears come off only one or two plants.

Come fall, it is time to enter vegetables in competition at the Topsfield Fair, put the garden to bed, and look forward to the World Series. As the Red Sox wield their champion bats, my daughter gives them her award-winning green thumbs up!