I first had this experience visiting a friend and her family in Nevada. To accompany our breakfast cereals was a huge bowl of bursting ripe raspberries on the table.
I asked my friend, “Dear where did you get these sweet treats?”
“From the garden of course.” She answered. Beautiful, ripe, flavorful food outside your garden door? I was in heaven. Her mother’s garden was also producing fresh vegetables, and the apple trees in the orchard were starting to show signs of life.
I’m living in Greece now, babysitting dogs and someone’s beautiful seaside home. In the distance is the deepest blue of the Mediterranean sea, but closer in my garden walls enclose trees bearing lemons, apricots, and peaches. It is the lemons that are coming down so fast we can’t give enough away to neighbors and friends. I’ve been busy squeezing pitcher after pitcher of lemonade so the fruit doesn’t go to waste.
My favorite thing about having your own garden is when I’m cooking. A lot of times an ingredient will slip my mind at the market and I don’t realize it until I’m elbow deep in the recipe, trying to do four things at once. This happened the other night while preparing some artichoke I had picked up from a seller who had a truck load. Everyone in Greece has a truckload now with artichoke in season. I was supposed to put the cut pieces in water with juice of one lemon. Had I been living in my Florida home I would have had to go without the lemon, or have someone dash off to the store, but here in this coastal Greece home I walked out into the garden and picked a beautiful full lemon. My satisfaction with the recipe was nothing compared to that moment of having what I needed in the most simplest and joyful way. As I write this I’m going without my usual breakfast as I’ve run out of milk, but I don’t fancy keeping goats on hand for that need. The lemon trees are more than enough.
And if you’d like some great recipes to create fresh flavorful dishes using fresh lemons. Order your copy of the best selling book The Basic Art of Italian Cooking by celebrity chef- Maria Liberati at https://www.marialiberati.com and for a limited time receive $5 off retial price and free shipping and handling. Poritons of proceeds go to Gilda’s Club at http://www.gildasclubnyc.org
Powered By Qumana
