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Sunday, October 24, 2010

What makes home-grown so good?

Pea tendrils, late summer in Oregon.
I had waited for months for these. I could stop at the tendrils, added them to my salad bowl. But, I waited for the pods to develop and fill up, praying that the weather and slugs would cooperate.

I had to wait until Mid October for the pods to become plump and juicy.
Our summer was cool and wet and most of the vegetables suffered.

Growing your own is so unpredictable:  the soil has to be nourished, there is need for  rain or irrigation during dry spells, a need for adequate sunshine, a need for few pests, uninvited crows, slugs, deer. If it's too windy or too wet, the bees may not arrive and linger to do their job.

After months of hit and miss, we have a harvest, a bowl of peas more precious than anything Green Giant could produce for my freezer. 

Familiar and yet special, these babies will be cherished.

I'm surprised they made it up to the house. I'm surprised at myself for resisting them as I picked and piled them in the bowl.  These are the best, tenderest peas I have ever tasted. Boiled gently in little water for a few minutes, then buttered and served with a spoon, they were eaten before anything else was assembled for lunch.

Green perfection!

9 comments:

  1. I am just planting my peas...it is part of my So. California winter garden. Your words make me salivate as I think of the harvest that may be mine in a few months. Like you, it is hard to make it into the kitchen with the pickings!

    I always consider my vegetables a "gift" because there is so much I cannot control to determine the amount of harvest. One year I had such a bounty of San Marzano tomatoes that I would lift the bottom of my T shirt to create a basket so I could carry them all into the kitchen...every day! This year, I was lucky if I picked a dozen tomatoes in all. So what nature gives me, I accept as a very grateful recipient.

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  2. I bought a new green at the Farmer's Market yesterday. Persicilla? Something like that. We had it in a salad tonight and it was quite tasty.

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  3. Mmmmmmmm..........Yummo. I love peas.

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  4. I always hated peas, canned or frozen. And then one day someone fed me peas fresh from their garden. Oh what a difference. Now we plant peas every year and in fact have just planted some for the winter garden. Now as you say, if I can keep the rabbits and pillbugs away.

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  5. Oh Patricia, San Marzano's tomatoes! You are a lucky girl, indeed.

    Pseudo--I will have to investigate Persicilla. I tend to plant anything once, so, if I can find the seeds I'm game.

    Natalie--Good to see you peeking through the vines.

    Ellen--like Patricia and Pseudo you can have a winter growing season for sure. We have tremendous winter storms that soak the ground permanently for months. I could try somethings in my sunroom.

    Thanks, everyone.

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  6. What lovely peas you have :) There's really nothing better than home grown!

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  7. Beautiful photo and peas! Fresh is best!

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  8. no surprise to see your surprise about nature...

    fresh vegetables are always the best.
    Thanks for sharing.

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  9. nothing like it... home grown.

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