Tuesday, August 21, 2007

Fond Food Memory

My mom, Dee, always loved to cook. Her mom was an immigrant from Romania, so we ate lots of stuffed cabbage, goulash, etc. Dee and Lydia loved farm-fresh produce so many weekends in the summer and fall (this was Montana people..short growing season) we would head to the Huderite farms armed with baskets. We could pick as much produce as we wanted, and it was inexpensive. We'd get big baskets of tomatoes, carrots, zuchinni, onions, cukes, etc. We children (me, Glenna, John, and Patricia) could eat all the veggies we wanted.

The memory of taking a fresh, warm tomato out of the basket and having the seeds and juice gush out of my mouth is one very fond memory. We also loved to take the carrots and eat all around them until we had only the sweet center left..and then devour that! I even liked raw potatoes..with salt. The summer canning process is a whole 'nother story.

I have a pic of my mom, oxygen tank and all, out by her tomato plants a few months before she died. I am so greatful we went to Wyoming that summer..even if I had to visit mom in the hospital. One of the things she asked was "how are my tomato plants doing?" Luckily, Dave had taken pics of them so we could show her. She was well pleased. (when I figure out how to post pics, I'll put the Dee/tomato one up).

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

I planted a garden this year. I've wanted a raised garden for some time and continually have asked Pete to build me one. It's been very therapeutic and bountiful! I have the most beautiful roma, cherry, pear and New Jersey Ugly (yep, that's the name) tomatoes you've ever seen. I have skads of pickling cukes, salad cukes zucchini, yellow squash, eggplant, jalapeno, italian long hots,yellow sweets and green peppers. It's filled with wonderful basil and italian parsley. I've made some mistakes (overplanting for one) but not a day goes by that I don't think about my mom when I'm out weeding, re-staking the plants or harvesting. I know she would be proud that I finally took it on. My husband has enjoyed it so much that in the fall he is doubling it's size for me...well for us.
You're right, nothing tastes better than taking something off the vine, rubbing it on your jeans to clean it, throwing some salt on it and enjoying it right there in the dirt!

Unknown said...

Thanks Pat! Mom would be proud..and she'd be out there eatin' veggies with ya.

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Unknown said...

My sista's comment was added as "guest blogger". I could not resist. She won't mind..she's too far away to do anything about it. Ha!