Memories~ String Beans and Muddy Flip Flops

This winter I'm dreaming of a garden. I'm dreaming of fresh veggies, strawberries, organic methods, and starting seeds.  Not so long ago, or so it seems, gardens were very much a reality in my life.

One of the gardens on my parents' two and a half acre property.

My brother and I with a very tall sunflower.  You can see the corn in the background too.

A border of sunflowers.

My parents always had an abundance of fresh food growing in the yard.  As a young child, much of our time was spent outside while my parents, plowed, planted, weeded, mowed, hoed, and otherwise cared for their large property.  Some of the basic things that they usually grew were tomatoes, green beans, hot peppers, green peppers, pumpkins, radish, carrots, lettuce, potatoes, horseradish, strawberries, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, cucumbers, watermelon, and zucchini- lots and lots of zucchini.

I remember doing lots of things that most of the other kids in my class knew nothing about- stringing beans, juicing tomatoes, watching my mom can, and hoeing.  I even remember one time before a high school band practice, we had a huge downpour.  The ground saturated very quickly, and my dad and my grandpap needed my help to stand the corn up.  I remember being quite perturbed that one of my favorite pair of flip flops was getting muddy as we quickly hoed a row of corn and then finally just used stakes and strings to tie it up.

Although at the time I may have been a less than enthusiastic participant in the gardening, I am now grateful for the experience.  I am excited to give it a shot, and I don't expect it to be perfect. In fact, we are buying a full share in the CSA this year!  I am glad that my own kids will have the chance to get their hands (and feet) dirty and get to try the most fresh type of vegetable there is- the kind just plucked from the plant with your own hand.

Tags: home grown food, organic, organic gardening, organic vegetables, organic food, gardening