What makes home-grown so good?

Pea tendrils, late summer in Oregon.
I had waited for months for these. I could stop at the tendrils, added them to my salad bowl. But, I waited for the pods to develop and fill up, praying that the weather and slugs would cooperate.

I had to wait until Mid October for the pods to become plump and juicy.
Our summer was cool and wet and most of the vegetables suffered.

Growing your own is so unpredictable:  the soil has to be nourished, there is need for  rain or irrigation during dry spells, a need for adequate sunshine, a need for few pests, uninvited crows, slugs, deer. If it's too windy or too wet, the bees may not arrive and linger to do their job.

After months of hit and miss, we have a harvest, a bowl of peas more precious than anything Green Giant could produce for my freezer. 

Familiar and yet special, these babies will be cherished.

I'm surprised they made it up to the house. I'm surprised at myself for resisting them as I picked and piled them in the bowl.  These are the best, tenderest peas I have ever tasted. Boiled gently in little water for a few minutes, then buttered and served with a spoon, they were eaten before anything else was assembled for lunch.

Green perfection!