My garden is done for the year. All in all, I think it was an overwhelming success. I grew 100% organic vegetables. No chemical fertilizers, pesticides, or genetic fucking around. Just plants, water, and various vegetarian animal shit. It served us well. We had tomatoes for the bulk of the late summer. We had peppers we didn't entirely know what to do with. We ate a smattering of what surely was the broccoli of the gods. We claimed some zucchini and squash for the grill. We even got a jar of pickles out of there.
I learned some hard lessons.

Soil prep never stops. I don't think a pet cow can shit enough in a year to turn bad soil into great soil. But I am confident that I will get there eventually.

Plant early. I took a risk. Every old-timer in the neighborhood thought that I was crazy putting my wee plants in the ground in early May. Whatever. I got harvest way earlier than they did. And really, what's the worst that can happen? They all die from frost damage and I have to replant. Pffffft. If you don't like me planting my garden pre-June, hide and watch. I still think this is a great idea with some acceptable risk.

Composting is harder than it should be. Containers, aerating, the unholy stench, doing ratios of green/brown waste, drainage, and pH all suck! But I believe it's necessary. I know that it has to get easier as we go along.

Check pH often. I got Blossom End Rot that entirely wiped through all of my squash. Killed every plant in under a week. BER has several contributing factors and apparently one of them is bad luck, which I have for days. But ammonia content in the soil is one that can be remedied.

I am planting a plot twice as big next year with more variety. I kinda dig this organic gardening for food thing.

I often talk a lot about what I don't eat. Occasionally I'll share what I do eat. But I think it's come time to share what I truly love to eat. The foods that inspire passion in me. The foods that make life truly marvelous and amazing. The foods that make me want to write a blog.
Anyway, this is just a short list of what's on my mind right now.
My favorite:
Vegetable - Fresh heirloom tomatoes. I know that they are technically a fruit, but that spot is already taken.
Fish - Toro Sashimi. This fatty belly meat of the tuna comes in season near my birthday. It literally melts on your tongue.
Soup - My wife's chicken noodle. It's essentially my own recipe, but there's something special about it. It tastes of warmth, love, caring. When you're sick you get the undertones of concern and hope. This is more than a meal. It's an expression of what home really is.
Fruit - Pawpaw. The pawpaw is a most curious fruit. It is indigenous and native to the hills of West Virginia. It tastes familiarly of apple, banana, mango, and some say pear. But it's still so exotic. I grew up eating them and its been so long since I've had one. If I could pay a fortune for one, I would.
Breakfast - Most develop their love or loathing of eating cold pizza for a morning meal in college. I think I developed my taste for it in elementary school. Chewing cold pizza allows time for reflection on the evening before. Which brings me to...
Beer - Beer is the nectar of the gods. Beer is there for you. In good times and bad. It refreshes you when you're thirsty and it can drown out the pain of a bad day. Beer is glorious and my flavor of choice for some time now has been Newcastle brown ale. Not as heavy as a stout, but plenty of bitter to chase away the domestic piss drinkers.
Charleston Area Restaurant - This is a tie at the moment. Murad's has been a favorite for a long time. Great pub food all made in house and a great wait staff. It's completely non-pretentious atmosphere and menu  is art in simplicity
The Vandalia Grill is a fairly recently found treasure. I love the atmosphere. The menu is creative and modestly priced. The preparation is spot on. I totally dig this place!
Sandwich - Toasted artisan bread, thick-sliced heirloom tomato, mayonnaise, salt and pepper. I've always said that if I was a restaurateur this would be the centerpiece of my menu. It's proof positive that spectacular ingredients make for spectacular results.
Dessert - Key Lime Pie. There can be no other.

These are just a few of my favorites. I'm sure I will revisit this topic from time to time. Please, share what foods you can't get enough of.