Some days it is a wonder how little time kitchen projects take — a lot less than fretting about aging cucumbers in the refrigerator drawer. A gardener doesn’t have time for fretting. When confronted with excess produce, one simply gets down the juicer, sorts cucumbers needing to be used, slices them in half and feeds them into the chute. Next thing you know, there is a quart and a half of fresh cucumber juice. Cleanup did not take long either.

Freezer storage started so neatly, processing vegetables in the order of harvest. Kale and collards came first, and I filled three baskets with gallon bags of the leafy greens. Then things got out of control. Organization with a mind toward use went out the window as I sought every square inch to fit something new. It became hodgepodge. I wanted to empty the freezer and start over. I’m not sure I can work fast enough to finish before frozen vegetables begin to thaw.

At the same time, I need to be able to find things. Like with the cucumbers, I simply need to get started and if I do, the project will come into alignment… I hope.

We want the freezer to be more than full, the shelves lined with preserved garden goodness. I continue to process vegetables, with the refrigerator serving as a staging area for the large, military-like operation. Finish putting up leeks? Start on celery. Current crop of jalapenos fermenting on the counter? Make garden huckleberry jam. The next thing we know is there are quart jars on the counter fermenting pickles and peppers, with soup, vegetable broth, and bins of parsley waiting for a meal. It can be a good life.

There have been a few cloudy and rainy days during the last two weeks. From the kitchen sink, I can see our dying Red Delicious apple tree. The garden looks overgrown with weeds, yet behind the green wall lining the fences, are rows of vegetables to come. The kitchen has been in constant use between meals and putting vegetables up. Knives need to be sharpened, but I don’t have time to locate a vendor.

In a short while, kitchen work will slow, ending with planting garlic in October. Until then, I keep at it, doing the best I can to make something of the abundance.

There will be plenty to use after the growing season ends.