Summer doesn't officially start until next month, but the seemingly sub-Saharan Africa temperature & humidity here in south Louisiana could certainly make you believe otherwise. I don't know about you, but the heat of the season draws me away from heavy foods & cooking anything that puts me over a hot stove. I am magnetically pulled to fresh vegetables for every meal. There's nothing like eating a thick, homegrown red tomato & letting the juices run down your arms. That, my friends, is what summer means to me. My late papaw & mamaw lived on 33 acres of land. Almost half of it was covered in a garden. Papaw planted peas, green beans, butter beans, watermelon, cantaloupe, tomatoes, corn, cucumbers, squash, & peanuts. I vividly remember spending my summer days dragging a five-gallon bucket through rows of peas & picking what I could. When it came time to shell the peas or shuck the corn, however, I would always to find something else to do, but the rule was that everyone had to pitch in. I didn't inherit the green thumb that my family had. That is why I rely on the farmer's market, produce stand, & other garden-savvy friends to help me out with my summer vegetable fix. My friend here in Baton Rouge, Josh Higginbotham, has planted himself a fine garden, indeed, & it is brimming with vegetables & herbs just begging to be transformed into a refreshing summer meal. Josh was gracious enough to allow me to take some pictures of his beautiful garden. We even saw the first tiny tomato of the season during our time outside! He has taken great care to assure that all plants were planted & tended properly & is already reaping the benefits of the harvest. This is a shot of Josh's glorious garden in all its green splendor. I am so excited to see the bounty it will produce throughout the next several months!
The tomatoes have started growing in full force. I adore fresh tomatoes on a bacon sandwich or sometimes just eating it like an apple. My mom would just pick them out of the garden, slice them, & serve them with salt & pepper with our lunch. I hope I can talk Josh into giving me some tomatoes & cucumbers for a fresh summer salad. Maybe he'll even let me pick some of his fresh herbs to make a caprese salad. Of course I'm going to ask him for some fresh lemons to squeeze in my water. Josh is probably going to be sorry he ever told me about his garden!!! Here are some pictures of the 'first' of the crops.
I get the sneaking suspicion that those tomato & pepper plants are going to produce rapidly, & Josh will have to make some of his world famous homemade hot sauce just to keep up & use everything. I absolutely can't wait to write about that! What I didn't tell you about Josh is that he is a good ol' Cajun boy from Vidrine, Louisiana. He assures me that he makes the best gumbo this side of the Mississippi River. That is another blog for another day, but I can promise you a gumbo throw-down when the temperature drops down! Thank you, Josh, for opening up your garden to me, but most of all, thank you for keeping the 'locally grown' movement alive here in the city. You've inspired me to work on my green thumb & create something of my own. I promise you, my friends, to keep you posted on the bounty that Josh collects & the new dishes that will be created from all of it. Tell me what some of your favorite garden goodies are & how you enjoy the harvests of summer. It brings back sweet memories of days gone by & how the greatest treasures in life are the simple ones.
No comments:
Post a Comment