Fresh spuds

We have pieces of washing machines that were used a few years after washpots and a few years before automatic washers and dryers. 

My mother had one of these beasts when we were growing up. It had a bottom that filled with water and soapsuds and an agitator as big as a Ford Focus. It smacked the clothes around, knocking out the red clay in our dungarees and overalls. 

After rinsing the suds out of the clothes, there was a wringer on top of the machine with two rolling pins that squished all the water out.

People stopped using these old washers in the early 60s. Most of them found their way to recycling places or into landfills.

The people that lived on this property years before we moved here in 1980 didn't believe in landfills or recycling. When they finished with something, they rolled it into the hollow.

We've hauled off mountains of junk they left us. But we're into reuse. Whenever possible, we repurpose things. We found the bottoms to a couple of the old washing machines I described above.

Instead of carting them to the recycle place, we pressed them into service as raised beds for our garden.

In the last several years, we've grown onions, tomatoes, garlic, and herbs. A few weeks ago, we planted potatoes. We noticed last week that they were pushing up through the compost and mulch.

This morning, when I walked by, I decided to snap a picture. 

Soon, we'll be enjoying fresh spuds. Have you ever eaten potatoes that you grew yourself? I personally think they're better than the ones you buy in the supermarket.