What a great story. I love the pictures of grandma's gardens. She taught you a lot about being connected to the earth. I have 10 acres. When we bought this place 15 years ago we went crazy planting fruits and vegetables. We had so much that my son in law used it for his restaurant. We were bringing it to food shelves. I canned a lot. My daughters love to garden. I have a small garden now and one of my cats keeps fucking spraying all the plants. Damn cat.
My perennials have taken a beating because we've been in a drought for the last 3 years. Bizarre weeds are taking over. I love my flowers. I have black walnut trees that flowers don't like. Last summer the deer ate everything. Little fuckers. The deer and I have a love hate relationship. Any advice? I heard Irish Spring soap might work.
Why am I just now seeing your note? SORRY! Thats so great you grew enough for your son-in-laws restaurant! When I was still in Missouri I took fresh produce to my girlfriend's restaurant! And the damned deer! UGH. We have dogs on the farm which keeps them at bay ... I honestly dont think anything but a shotgun can stop a hungry deer. They are so destructive! 🙄 Dont give up!!
There is something about being outside and working with the soil. I like to plant flower bulbs and spiderwort which is a wildflower that you plant and forget. It takes care of itself and returns each spring. Doug used to have more of a garden, but now it's tomatoes and onions. Thanks for sharing your memories with us Susan.
If I ever move back to Missouri and my knees allow it, I'll most definitely be planting vegetables! It was so fulfilling... And I taught myself how to can, though I was incredibly nervous I would give us all botulism ! HA! But we didnt die and it tasted great! The psychological aspect is what it's all about for me, I think. Clears my mind! ❤️
Coming from ancestral German stock on my father’s side whose census in the early 1900s indicated “farmer” as his source of income, plus some family photos to prove, I too love digging in the dirt.
I’m glad your knee issues are not limiting you to pawing around and getting things going. Happy spring!
In the heart of the deep south, summer unfolds like a languid dream, the days stretching out in an endless stream of warmth and verdant growth. The sun, a relentless presence in the azure sky, bathes the land in its golden embrace, coaxing the earth to yield its bounty. It's a time when vegetable gardens explode with life, their neat rows and trellises bursting with the fruits of labor and nature's unbridled enthusiasm.
To walk among these plants is to be enveloped in a sensory symphony. The rich, loamy scent of the earth rises up to greet you, a testament to the countless generations who have tilled and tended this soil. The air is thick with the heady aroma of ripening tomatoes, their plump, red bodies warming in the sun, ready to burst with flavor at the slightest touch. The crisp, green scent of cucumbers and the delicate perfume of pole beans intertwine, while the bold, peppery fragrance of basil and the sweet, licorice-like essence of fennel dance on the edges of perception.
As you brush past the foliage, the leaves whisper secrets in a language as old as time itself. The sturdy vines of the pole beans twist and climb, reaching ever upward in their quest for the sun, while the broad, sheltering leaves of the squash plants create hidden worlds beneath their canopy. The corn stands tall and proud, its silken tassels swaying in the gentle breeze, each stalk a sentinel guarding the precious ears that will soon yield their sweet, golden kernels.
The heat of the day is a tangible presence, a weight that settles upon the shoulders like a familiar, if sometimes burdensome, companion. It's the kind of heat that makes the air shimmer and dance, blurring the lines between earth and sky. Time seems to slow, measured not by the ticking of clocks but by the lazy droning of cicadas and the distant cries of bobwhites.
But as the sun begins its slow descent toward the horizon, the world shifts. The evening breeze, a mercy after the day's unrelenting heat, carries with it the promise of respite. The air softens, the harsh edges of the day smoothed away by the gentle touch of twilight. Fireflies emerge, their tiny lights flickering in the gathering dusk like stars come down to earth, and the chorus of crickets and frogs rises up to fill the night with their timeless serenade.
In this moment, standing in the midst of a 1960s farm, surrounded by the bounty of the earth and the beauty of a world on the cusp of change, it's easy to forget the cares of the modern world. Here, in the deep south, where the rhythms of nature still hold sway and the connection between land and people runs deep, summer is more than just a season - it's a state of being, a reminder of the timeless cycles that have shaped us and the enduring beauty that sustains us, even in the face of an ever-changing world.
"As you brush past the foliage, the leaves whisper secrets in a language as old as time itself. The sturdy vines of the pole beans twist and climb, reaching ever upward in their quest for the sun, while the broad, sheltering leaves of the squash plants create hidden worlds beneath their canopy. " You have a beautiful brain, Gloria. Just WOW! I read what you write and literally get goosebumps. ❤️❤️❤️❤️
Love this about you’re great grandmother and all the precious photos! What a wonderful childhood you had! You recall such neat details… feels like I’m right there! Great family story; family memories are the best! Thanks for this, Susan! 😊🩷
So kind of you, Joan. I just cant believe all the photos and letters I found in boxes. What a treasure they have been. My summers on our farm were fun and my safe haven. Lucky to have grandparents who were so loving. I dont take it for granted! Have a great day! ✌️❤️
HAHA! Thank you Bonnie! It's rare to find someone who knows what salsify is. I can taste the carsserole right now...thats why I linked to the recipe. If you can find it for sale, maybe at a Farmers Market, do make it. Just delicious!
Yummy!!! I grew a big patch of (raises eyebrow) Scorzonero about 15 years ago and it was awesome. I failed to renew the patch though and it eventually petered out :-( I then did Jerusalem Artichokes in that same.place and they were killer for a few years and then met the same fate. I let myself get too busy doing other stuff and was very new to gardening at the time. Beginners have all the luck!
I spent many happy summers on my uncle’s 75 acre farm. He grew peaches, tomatoes, corn, squash, melons, green beans, etc. My favorite thing to do was pick a tomato, hot from the sun, and take a big bite. The juice ran down my chin, and it tasted like the best part of summer. Ah, the wonders of childhood!
What a fabulous memory, Sharon. Once you've experienced a tomato like that theres no going back! Sounds like he had a great spread, too. I remember helping her pick the little worms off cabbages. God, I'm such a tomboy! 😂
I used to tell people about the huge dinners at the farm my grandmothers would make. Farm to table in every sense of the phrase! The taste of food you grow yourself is richer, more flavorful. I miss that!
So beautiful! I love planting seeds with my kids, forgetting about them, and marveling when they grow. I have big gardening ambitions for the days when there's more quiet and empty time, but for now, we just do flowers outside the front of the house. But even that is joyful!
It's ALL joyful, Isabel! Success is when you see those little seeds pop out and in no time, all the color and cut flowers... I just love it! I seriously believe it lowers your blood pressure! ❤️
Ford 8n? My dad fixed and collected them.
What a great story. I love the pictures of grandma's gardens. She taught you a lot about being connected to the earth. I have 10 acres. When we bought this place 15 years ago we went crazy planting fruits and vegetables. We had so much that my son in law used it for his restaurant. We were bringing it to food shelves. I canned a lot. My daughters love to garden. I have a small garden now and one of my cats keeps fucking spraying all the plants. Damn cat.
My perennials have taken a beating because we've been in a drought for the last 3 years. Bizarre weeds are taking over. I love my flowers. I have black walnut trees that flowers don't like. Last summer the deer ate everything. Little fuckers. The deer and I have a love hate relationship. Any advice? I heard Irish Spring soap might work.
Why am I just now seeing your note? SORRY! Thats so great you grew enough for your son-in-laws restaurant! When I was still in Missouri I took fresh produce to my girlfriend's restaurant! And the damned deer! UGH. We have dogs on the farm which keeps them at bay ... I honestly dont think anything but a shotgun can stop a hungry deer. They are so destructive! 🙄 Dont give up!!
There is something about being outside and working with the soil. I like to plant flower bulbs and spiderwort which is a wildflower that you plant and forget. It takes care of itself and returns each spring. Doug used to have more of a garden, but now it's tomatoes and onions. Thanks for sharing your memories with us Susan.
If I ever move back to Missouri and my knees allow it, I'll most definitely be planting vegetables! It was so fulfilling... And I taught myself how to can, though I was incredibly nervous I would give us all botulism ! HA! But we didnt die and it tasted great! The psychological aspect is what it's all about for me, I think. Clears my mind! ❤️
I love your grandma’s tutorials!
Coming from ancestral German stock on my father’s side whose census in the early 1900s indicated “farmer” as his source of income, plus some family photos to prove, I too love digging in the dirt.
I’m glad your knee issues are not limiting you to pawing around and getting things going. Happy spring!
( ˘ ³˘)♥︎
In the heart of the deep south, summer unfolds like a languid dream, the days stretching out in an endless stream of warmth and verdant growth. The sun, a relentless presence in the azure sky, bathes the land in its golden embrace, coaxing the earth to yield its bounty. It's a time when vegetable gardens explode with life, their neat rows and trellises bursting with the fruits of labor and nature's unbridled enthusiasm.
To walk among these plants is to be enveloped in a sensory symphony. The rich, loamy scent of the earth rises up to greet you, a testament to the countless generations who have tilled and tended this soil. The air is thick with the heady aroma of ripening tomatoes, their plump, red bodies warming in the sun, ready to burst with flavor at the slightest touch. The crisp, green scent of cucumbers and the delicate perfume of pole beans intertwine, while the bold, peppery fragrance of basil and the sweet, licorice-like essence of fennel dance on the edges of perception.
As you brush past the foliage, the leaves whisper secrets in a language as old as time itself. The sturdy vines of the pole beans twist and climb, reaching ever upward in their quest for the sun, while the broad, sheltering leaves of the squash plants create hidden worlds beneath their canopy. The corn stands tall and proud, its silken tassels swaying in the gentle breeze, each stalk a sentinel guarding the precious ears that will soon yield their sweet, golden kernels.
The heat of the day is a tangible presence, a weight that settles upon the shoulders like a familiar, if sometimes burdensome, companion. It's the kind of heat that makes the air shimmer and dance, blurring the lines between earth and sky. Time seems to slow, measured not by the ticking of clocks but by the lazy droning of cicadas and the distant cries of bobwhites.
But as the sun begins its slow descent toward the horizon, the world shifts. The evening breeze, a mercy after the day's unrelenting heat, carries with it the promise of respite. The air softens, the harsh edges of the day smoothed away by the gentle touch of twilight. Fireflies emerge, their tiny lights flickering in the gathering dusk like stars come down to earth, and the chorus of crickets and frogs rises up to fill the night with their timeless serenade.
In this moment, standing in the midst of a 1960s farm, surrounded by the bounty of the earth and the beauty of a world on the cusp of change, it's easy to forget the cares of the modern world. Here, in the deep south, where the rhythms of nature still hold sway and the connection between land and people runs deep, summer is more than just a season - it's a state of being, a reminder of the timeless cycles that have shaped us and the enduring beauty that sustains us, even in the face of an ever-changing world.
Wow, that's really beautiful!! Poetry of the summer gardens.
Lisa...Gloria is an incredible talent...I always feel luck when she choses to elaborate. I feel it!!
Thank you. 🙏
Exactly my thought. I can smell it and feel the humidity of the sun soaked day.
❤️❤️❤️
"As you brush past the foliage, the leaves whisper secrets in a language as old as time itself. The sturdy vines of the pole beans twist and climb, reaching ever upward in their quest for the sun, while the broad, sheltering leaves of the squash plants create hidden worlds beneath their canopy. " You have a beautiful brain, Gloria. Just WOW! I read what you write and literally get goosebumps. ❤️❤️❤️❤️
Love this about you’re great grandmother and all the precious photos! What a wonderful childhood you had! You recall such neat details… feels like I’m right there! Great family story; family memories are the best! Thanks for this, Susan! 😊🩷
So kind of you, Joan. I just cant believe all the photos and letters I found in boxes. What a treasure they have been. My summers on our farm were fun and my safe haven. Lucky to have grandparents who were so loving. I dont take it for granted! Have a great day! ✌️❤️
I LOVE both your writing AND salsify!
Also called (say it in a sexy voice with one eyebrow raised) SCORZONERO!
HAHA! Thank you Bonnie! It's rare to find someone who knows what salsify is. I can taste the carsserole right now...thats why I linked to the recipe. If you can find it for sale, maybe at a Farmers Market, do make it. Just delicious!
Yummy!!! I grew a big patch of (raises eyebrow) Scorzonero about 15 years ago and it was awesome. I failed to renew the patch though and it eventually petered out :-( I then did Jerusalem Artichokes in that same.place and they were killer for a few years and then met the same fate. I let myself get too busy doing other stuff and was very new to gardening at the time. Beginners have all the luck!
HAHAH! I'm gonna need to find out more about Scorzonero!
I spent many happy summers on my uncle’s 75 acre farm. He grew peaches, tomatoes, corn, squash, melons, green beans, etc. My favorite thing to do was pick a tomato, hot from the sun, and take a big bite. The juice ran down my chin, and it tasted like the best part of summer. Ah, the wonders of childhood!
What a fabulous memory, Sharon. Once you've experienced a tomato like that theres no going back! Sounds like he had a great spread, too. I remember helping her pick the little worms off cabbages. God, I'm such a tomboy! 😂
We didn’t have cabbage, but we had corn worms. Big green ones. Yuck!
Right. And when she would do brussel sprouts, little green worms on those. EW! 😂🐛
The older (and hopefully wiser) I get, the more vegetables I eat. I appreciate your passion Susan!
I used to tell people about the huge dinners at the farm my grandmothers would make. Farm to table in every sense of the phrase! The taste of food you grow yourself is richer, more flavorful. I miss that!
So beautiful! I love planting seeds with my kids, forgetting about them, and marveling when they grow. I have big gardening ambitions for the days when there's more quiet and empty time, but for now, we just do flowers outside the front of the house. But even that is joyful!
It's ALL joyful, Isabel! Success is when you see those little seeds pop out and in no time, all the color and cut flowers... I just love it! I seriously believe it lowers your blood pressure! ❤️
You had me at pickled tomatoes.
😂😂 Nothing like it!