Tuesday, March 15, 2016

We Went Through a Non-Cooking Spell

Been away for a long, long time.  Why?  Well, we moved and in moving we found that we really weren't cooking that often.  It has continued now that we are in the new home.  One reason for this is quite frankly, we haven't settled in 100%.  Sad, but true.  Boxes are still sitting around and I have no idea what to do with some of my larger furniture.  It will all sort out in time, but until then, I'm not feeling too perky in the kitchen.

The biggest motivator that might help me defeat my funk is my garden.  Todd and I have been putting in planting boxes and planting things right and left.  Potted horticultural plants, yep.  Potted herbs, OH YEAH.  Potted interest plants in the form of Belladonna, Datura, and Foxglove, yep.  I am all primed and ready for some color, interest, and food.  Our first planter box was filled with lettuce and spinach.  I'm still eating off those and have given some to friends.  We have about 14 tomato plants in the ground.  From Husky Red patio type tomatoes to Brandywine and Cherokee Purple.  We also have several varieties of Jalapeno, some Serranos, Anchos, yellow sweet peppers, yellow and red Bell peppers and I'm sure I'm forgetting some.  I have planted yellow squash, two varieties.  I have an Eggplant too.  There is opal basil, sweet basil, globe basil, and Thai basil.  We have Greek, Mexican, and spicy Oregano.  Dill and leaf Celery inhabit another planting bed.  Sweet Marjoram and several varieties of Thyme are spinning up in the beds as well.  Finally, we have planted beet, radish, bush bean and pinto bean seeds.  Oh, and we have cucumbers in the ground as well as a cantaloupe.  I'm pretty sure we've over done it, but we couldn't be happier.

I come from a family of gardeners.  Mamaw was the one who taught me years ago in a little patch that our landlord let us cultivate.  We turned that black lob-lolly soil into a huge harvest of just about every vegetable you could imagine.  For Mamaw, it was about growing what we ate and saving a buck or two through sweat equity and the goodness of growing things.  For me, it was learning and channeling my innate love for living things into a fun and profitable activity.  Profitable in terms of getting to eat juicy tomatoes and sweet, sweet corn.  Sometimes I resented having to hoe the rows and do the weeding.  I really didn't like the maintenance parts as much as I liked the planting and harvesting.  But, I learned and participated every day.  It became a part of me that was dormant for many, many years.

Todd and I were married for a while before we started playing around with growing our own food.  It started at the old home with a few plants in pots and a couple of very primitive raised beds.  We did get tomatoes and peppers going, but it was never really that good of a return on investment.  Our yard was tiny and didn't get all that much sun in the early and later parts of the year.  It got good sun in the middle of Houston's long, long, hot, hot summers, though.  Now that we have a house with lots room in our back yard, we are ready to really get to production.  We have a new and improved planting bed plan and we are ready for production.

I can't wait until I can pick a good tomato full of that umami flavor that does not exist in those watery hybrids we buy at the grocery.  I may not cook a single one.  My love for fresh tomato knows no bounds.  Todd will turn our chile peppers into sauces, such as Sriracha.  More than anything, we will enjoy literally eating the fruits of our labors.

I know we will find our cooking mojo.  We have to.  It's too much a part of who we are and how we relate to each other and others.  We express our love through cooking, teaching cooking and teaching how to garden.  I believe that these avenues of expression will bring us back to the hearth and help us make this new house our home.