There is nothing better than eating “fresh”!
The farm-to-table trend is NOT a trend but has been a way of life since the Pilgrims found their first pumpkins! (And technically before that!)
I am not a scientist, nutritionist, botanist or biologist, but I AM farmers’ daughter., and that beats ALL!
What I know for certain about food, and the process of growing it well, stems from years of experience. Experience in the planting of my grandparents’ garden, my own garden as a young mother, and planting still on a smaller scale, just to always have “fresh” favorites available during the summer months.
Container gardening…is where I’m living at currently when it comes to having my “own” garden. I live in the suburbs on a golf-course lot, no gardening is allowed. However, small-scale goodness, is still “goodness” when it’s fresh and homegrown. Container gardens are easy to maintain, to water, fertilize, debug and prune as needed. The size of your “crops” may be smaller, but still equally nutritious.
This little Lemon Thyme plant in a teacup, is one of my favorite herbs to grow. Every year I plant what I call a “Kitchen Garden”, which is a variety of my favorite herbs in a container large enough to hold them. I plant basil, rosemary, lemon thyme, Italian flat leaf parsley and curly parsley. I love cilantro, but it has never lasted long in Indiana!
I LOVE basil; but basil without tomatoes is unwise. If I have the room, I’ll grow a few tomato plants to pair with the basil, together they are a match made in Heaven!
What are your favorite summer meals? Do your meals center around the garden’s availability, the freshest produce you can find?
You really don’t have to rely on your own ability to garden, fresh comes in waves during the summer months. By August, at least in Indiana, our Farmer’s Markets are full of racks and bins of newly picked produce.
Also, one of my favorite places to shop for fresh is the Amish Market, which is only about five miles from my home. The market I shop at has very little electricity for freezers or “misters” to freshen the vegetables. Instead, you’ll find bushel baskets and boxes of “just picked” still-wearing-field-dirt produce, waiting to be sold by the pound, or by the bushel basket. This is an excellent way, and my favorite way to buy ” fresh” in bulk, to preserve for the months ahead.
I wanted to take photos of the Amish Market for you, with their beautiful flowers and plants, handmade lawn furniture, and wood bird houses all for sale before you even enter the Market. Across a gravel drive you’ll see a large white barn with open “parking”, stalls available for the horses pulling buggy’s, keeping them out of the weather while their owner’s shop. Barn cats with their kittens are everywhere, which is something my girls remember from when I took them along, years ago. Unfortunately, out of respect, I did not photograph the people working at the market, or fellow shoppers. My grandmother, who had many Amish close friends, told me years ago that they didn’t like their image captured by the camera. Whether that still holds true or not, there are no Market pictures for you to see, from me.
I can’t believe July is halfway through! How about you, doesn’t it seem to be going by so quickly?
It is time for me to “go to market”, and perhaps come home with a half-bushel of green beans, tomatoes, and ears of corn. I’ll be back, writing about how I preserve the “freshest” part of summer!
Enjoy these beautiful days friends, they’re going by so fast!
Hugs!,
