From the pantry

The walk-in pantry off my kitchen is of a large enough size that occasionally, on a darkened shelf and at the back of this shelf, a vegetable or other edible gets placed — and then forgotten.

Such was the case for this butternut squash where half was used for dinner and the other half placed in the pantry for later use — and then forgotten. Of course.

But nothing is ever wasted. I don’t mean that this mouldy piece of vegetable would be used in a soup or grilled in a hot fry pan, but that there is a story in its decay.

What stands out most is that the seeds have not yet been touched by the mould. All the other orange parts of the squash have succumbed, but not the seeds. Four groups gathered in defensive arrangements holding off till the last of their protective ammunition — whatever it is — is used up.

The analogy: As we go through life, plant seeds of hope. They just might survive through this contemporary onslaught of global negativity and burst into joyful blossom when we most need it.