Home-Grown Goodness

We are very fortunate, here in the Midwest, to have fertile soil and close knit families. Gardening brings our family together in the spring, summer, and fall.  And as ridiculous as it sounds, we begin gardening in the winter by starting seeds in our home.  It serves as a science projects for my boys.  Then, when the time comes in the spring we usually plant our delicate seedlings in the soil.  Usually, our seedlings end up dieing and we purchase new plants anyway. 

We have been completing the cycle of planting, growing, tending, and preserving our bountiful vegetables and fruits for many years.  Today, as I was making supper, I pulled cauliflower out of our packed freezer. It occurred to me...why in the world do I preserve all of this food?  Our freezers are packed with farm fresh meats and produce.  Our pantry is like our own Luthi Family Grocery Store.  Our basement storage area is packed with a myriad of shelves full of canned goods that I personally canned.  Why do I do this?  I spend hours, weeks, and months in front of the sink and stove making spaghetti sauce, salsa, glazed carrots, and countless other things.  I cut my fingers, burn my hands, and hurt my back hunched over the delicate work of skinning tomatoes, dicing onions and peppers, peeling carrots.  Is it worth it?  Groceries have never been a burden on our budget.  Why do I put myself through more additional stress?

The process of turning freshly picked produce from our garden....

...into something that takes hours (sometimes all day) to cook...

...and turn it into some delicious that will last our family at least an entire year...

...is very rewarding, addicting, and stressful.

I look at my children quietly playing (two young boys quietly playing...it occasionally happens) with their toy farm equipment on the living room carpet.  They are busy planting and combining make-believe corn and beans.  Then I realize there is a simple answer to my question.

A wise old Book reads, "He who works his land will have abundant food, but he who chases fantasies lacks judgment."

I guess that is the answer to my question.  And, I have learned a very important lesson by being the only girl in our house.  The key to a boys heart is a home-cooked meal.  That's it, that is all my boys ever want.  It is as simple as that.

"You don't have to cook fancy or complicated masterpieces - just good food from fresh ingredients."
-Julia Child