One of the reasons I love summer is the fact that this time of year I get to enjoy the fruits of my labour - literally - from my garden. When I was growing up I remember my Mom planting a huge garden. We had everything from potatoes, tomatoes, peas, carrots, lettuce, cucumbers, pumpkins, beets, radish, beans, corn, onions and garlic to strawberries, rhubarb and raspberries.
I used to think it was a ton of work to plant, water and weed it. Not to mention I hated shelling bags and bags of peas or cleaning bags and bags of beans to blanch and put in the freezer when I'd rather be doing something else fun outside. But everything sure tasted good when she cooked those vegetables or made jam and desserts with those fruits.
Well now that I'm an adult and have my own family guess what? I've got my own garden and we enjoy potatoes, tomatoes, peas, carrots, lettuce, spinach, cucumbers, pumpkins, beets, radish, beans, peppers, corn, onions, garlic, herbs, zucchini, squash, strawberries and rhubarb. My husband wants us to plant raspberry canes and my kids want an apple tree as well. Those are next on the list to add to our yard.
Another treat we will enjoy this year is fresh Saskatoon berries. For those of you not from the Prairies who have never tasted a Saskatoon berry, you are sadly missing out. They are a little smaller than a Blueberry, but a little sweeter and they make wonderful pies, jam and jelly. We are lucky enough to have a stash of Saskatoon berry trees in our yard scattered among the native trees surrounding the property. We went out a few nights ago and picked enough to make a pie and have a few for fresh eating - yum!
I don't do as much canning and storing for winter as my Mom did but that's something I need to be more diligent about. I do make my own tomato sauce and sometimes Salsa as well if the tomato bounty is big enough. I don't think I've eaten a commercial jar of tomato sauce for quite a few years now and if I have to, the taste just doesn't compare to homemade.
Things not only taste out of this world good but I feel a great sense of pride and accomplishment when I can walk outside my house to the garden and pick enough vegetables to make my family a meal. I don't have to worry about how much or how long I'm washing things since they are chemical and pesticide free. I know I'm saving a ton of money this time of year as well since a trip to the store for groceries has tripled over the past couple of years with fruit and produce being most expensive. Don't you hate it how all the things that are good for you cost the most?
If you have the ability to plant a garden, big or small, I encourage you to do it. If you're like me when I was growing up I swore I'd never do all that work but here I am, carrying on the tradition I saw my family take part in. So far my kids like to help plant the garden and they sure like picking (and mostly eating) fresh strawberries, peas and carrots. I can only hope I'm instilling in them the importance of knowing where your food comes from and to take pride in the fact that you can grow it yourself. With numerous communities taking initiatives to begin community gardens, you may just be able to enjoy the fruits of your labour as well!
When the weather turns cold and snowy here as it always does later in the year, I'm going to try some indoor container gardening with fresh herbs and lettuce. Maybe that will keep me inspired as I wait for spring next year!
Off to make some new potatoes with dill, butter and onions for supper - yum again! We hope you are enjoying the fruits of summer too - whether in your own garden or someone else'. Another great way to reduce your carbon footprint by growing food close to home. Gotta love summer!
Baby Luv Boutique
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