Where We Live: Dreaming of garden goodies

With spring right around the corner, I can only think of one thing — that I really wish I had a garden.

Back when I was a kid, my siblings and parents would take to the large patch of soil every spring, getting the ground ready for tomatoes, green beans, watermelons and everything in between.

Of course, when I was young, I considered this to be work. Granted, it was fun to help the adults, but being so young, I couldn’t see the forest for the trees during the sowing season. But once everything sprung up, well, then things got fun.

My brothers and I were in charge of collecting fresh green beans for dinner. It was an easy task, plucking the beans and bagging them for Mom. We even ate a few fresh ones here and there. I know, vegetables as snacks. Weird, right?

Corn collection and shucking was a constant during the summer months. It wasn’t a real meal without corn on the cob, and again, we kids would be responsible for the prep work. Granted, we found it amusing, and it kept us out of trouble, so it was a win-win for the parents.

Thinking back, I always considered the seasonal gardening work to be an average, humdrum kind of thing. It wasn’t particularly special, it was just part of the spring, summer and fall. Nowadays, I look back on the gardening, and I really wish I had the capability to work my own plot of land. Alas, even though I have a little bit of space in the backyard, I don’t think my landlord would appreciate it.

I only wish I had the opportunity to grow my own harvest of fresh peppers, tomatoes and eggplant. Just thinking about it stirs up a laundry list of potential recipes I could try, all with fresh produce. Authentic farm-to-table eats, made in my own kitchen!

Back at my mom’s house, it’s been quite awhile since the garden was in full swing. Unfortunately, with all her kids grown up, my mother just can’t manage to till the land, plant the seeds and manage the ground all by herself. Not that she’s completely given up on her rural sensibilities — she still raises chickens every year — but it’s tough work without an army of children to help.

Still, maybe this year I’ll make the trek out to her house and see if I can help set up a smaller version of the old garden. It would be nice to have fresh food without doling out a boatload of cash.

And God knows she’ll have me harvest the green beans. Let’s see if she gets any for herself this time.