GardenMama

.: Savoring The Harvest :.

 

This spring my family and I planted fifty tomato plants. We enjoyed many colors and varietals throughout the season that were canned, frozen, stored and eaten straight from the garden.  We enjoyed working and playing together as co-participants in the entire cycle--from seed to harvest.

Most of all we enjoyed gathering up baskets of garden fresh vegetables and flowers to bring to neighbors, and jars of still warm tomato soup. Packets of flower seeds we gathered will soon follow!

 
Upon harvesting each and every tomato from the garden we enjoyed a beautiful warm soup as a tribute to all of the love, hard work, and care that each one of us poured into making the garden grow this year. 

My husband, a wonderful cook and sweet gentle teacher in the kitchen, enjoys imparting the lessons of heart and home with the children by his side. Today's menu called for garden fresh tomato soup!

Fresh, still warm garlic bread paired with a golden colored soup warmed our bellies and our memories of this precious time together!

Each child gathered baskets of tomatoes back to the house where they then washed them and set them back in the sun to dry, next gathering up what they saw as the most beautiful and delicious tomato specimins that would go into today's soup!
   
Mama of course enjoyed a bit of 'garden art' creating and photographing rainbows of gorgeous homegrown veggies and sunflowers what a colorful palette to behold!

Growing and storing your own foods, sharing this rich process from start to finish with your littles,  enjoying a wholesome home cooked meal from these processes and sharing this bounty with those that live around you is an incredible gift!
 

.: Gardenmama's Tomato Soup :.

Twelve freshly picked tomatoes
Two cups vegetable broth
1/2 cup chopped celery
Handfull of fresh basil
1/2 cup chopped onion

Combine tomatoes and broth; stew for thirty minutes on low heat.
Strain into a bowl, removing the seeds and skins.  Return to pot.

Stir in 2 tbsp. flour.
add celery, basil and onion.

Cook over very low heat until mixture has thickened to desired consistency.
Stir in one cup of milk during the last ten minutes.

Season to taste with salt and pepper. Process in the blender for a smooth soup before serving.

Note: We used more yellow tomatoes than red for a milder soup.  (I have a difficult time digesting red tomatoes) The yellow tomatoes also created a golden-colored soup that was lovely! We also added a bit of shredded cheese before serving!

.: Enjoy!! :.

.: I am in the process of making some changes to this space. It will be an on-going process! Today I made the photos larger! Tell me what you think! :.

.: Corn Husk Dolls ~ Tutorial :.

.: Corn Husk Dolls that were created while a summer meal of farm-fresh corn was boiling :.

Each year in late summer we look forward to farm fresh corn! It's such a treat to travel the country roads around home and stop at the handmade sign that announces this sweet golden treat!                                                                                                                                                                                                   
 

.: Each year we enjoy shucking corn in celebration of summer :.

The corn stand is the drive-up of choice to make our meal of on these summer evenings. Just a bit of butter and salt paired with a side dish of ripe tomatoes and fresh garden Basil makes our bellies very happy!

While the corn boils we take some time to create corn husk dolls.  

Step One: Gathering Corn Husk

First gather a pile of corn husks.  This will be what forms the base of the corn husk doll.

Step Two: Making The Doll's Head & Dress

Fold the pile of corn husk that you gathered completely in half, matching up both ends.                       

The bottom is now frilled--this is the doll's dress.

Wrap a thin piece of floral wire at the top of the corn husk to create the head of the doll.  

Step Three: Shaping The Doll's Head

With scissors, define the doll's head by rounding the two upper corners. 

Step Four: Creating The Doll's Waist

Tightly wrap a piece of floral wire around where you think the doll's waist should be.

Step Five: Creating The Doll's arms

For this step you will set the 'doll' to the side and gather up another small pile of loose corn husk.  This will be used for the doll's arms.

Step Six: Securing The Doll's arms

Fold one end of the husk over, making the tips meet the center.  

Next fold the other end of the husk over to make the tips meet the center.  (Now both ends are meeting up in the middle.)

Secure this in the center with floral wire and now you have what looks like a 'bow-tie'  Make sure to leave long ends of the wire 'loose' this is what you will be securing the arms to the body with.                                                                           

Step Seven: Creating The Doll's Hands

On either side of this bow-tie, wrap a small section with wire to form the doll's hands.

Step Eight: Securing the doll's arms to the body

With the 'leftover' wire that is loose in the back, secure this 'bow-tie' looking piece (the arms) to the back of the doll's body by sliding the long wire behind the already secured wire of the waist.

Step Nine: Creating a Dress

Use scissors to snip the dress portion. Make a frayed edge as short or as long as you wish.  If you 'fluff' the frayed edge with your hands it will curl slightly when it dries making for a fuller dress.

Steps ten and eleven: Creating Pants and Feet

By making one long snip up the center of the bottom half of the doll you are creating legs or pants.

Now divide the corn husk and wrap a piece of wire around the bottom. One side will create a left foot and the other a right foot.

 

.: My daughter also made herself a corn-husk bracelet! :.

  .: We appreciate making each piece of this vegetable purposeful as a way of showing gratitude for the garden and to the farmers who grow this good seasonal food. :.

.: Good Day Sunshine! :.

.: Sunflowers reaching up tall saluting the sun! :.

A  favorite song of our family is "Good Day Sunshine" by the Beatles. We enjoy this cheerful music by turning the volume up on the record player and singing our hearts out while appreciating the soft crackle that goes along with this album that has been played time and time again.

The melody and lyrics warm our hearts and linger with us throughout the day. Today we venture into the garden to say 'Good Day Sunshine'  and appreciate all of the energy she has gifted us with!  

.: Gathering from the garden is a favorite summer pastime of the children! :.

 

.: This little cherry tomato was the very first of the season to be picked! :.

With gathering baskets in hand and three garden helpers by my side, we begin filling our baskets with these red, orange and yellow treasures! 'Sun batteries' we like to call them, as they are storing the energy of the sun.

As we move through a sea of tomato plants we notice delicate yellow blooms herald each new fruit as it arrives.

 

.: Golden Sunflowers-- a  flower that brings me instant cheer! :.

 

.: Many hands work together to harvest from the dozens of tomato plants in the garden :.

As we walk along the rows of the compost rich soil, we brush against many green tomato leaves and their intoxicating aromas are released to bring us a  bit of heaven here on this day!

.: The sun illuminates these beauties in a most gorgeous way! :.

Each sunflower stretches up to the sun practicing it's sun salutations while also providing radiant halos for us to gaze at. I can feel instant cheer whenever I notice them waving in the breeze. I can't help but smile when I see these majestic plants in all of their sunny glory!

.: I can't get enough of my garden boy's golden curls! :.

.: I appreciate seeing my little one having a fresh organic snack straight from the garden! :.

The Beatles record that was playing in the living room before we stepped outdoors continues to play in my head. I feel such a connection here in the garden with my family and the earth.

"I need to laugh, and when the sun is out
 I've got something I can laugh about
 I feel good, in a special way
 I'm in love and it's a sunny day"

These are the lyrics we sing together as we continue filling the baskets.

  .: Natural bird-feeders growing up tall and strong! :.

  .: The aroma of tomato leaves - an intoxicating scent of summer! :.

.: Each day we visit the tomato plants and harvest to create sauce, salsas and salads! :.

As we continue to gather we work together in harmony with the earth,  and with each other. 

.: Just a few from today's harvest that will soon mingle with corn, cilantro, and many more delicious ingredients when I grill some fresh salsa ! :.

.: These sunflowers will certainly inspire me into the winter months while I create! :.

I am looking forward to canning these summer days from the garden for the winter months when snow is falling and we can open up a jar to be brought back to this very day.  The images, scents and tastes of summer will be etched into our memories when we reach for them into the colder months.

  

.: We hold onto these moments and give thanks for the sun that has gifted us so richly with these natural treasures that live harmoniously together in the garden! :.