Saturday, August 8, 2015

Local Saturday - Contrasts

I've written about farmers markets so many times in the past few years, but I now find myself in a situation where I am rarely home (or in a place with a farmer's market) on weekends.  So, instead, I am going to link to a fellow blogger, Vera Linton, who wrote a post called Watermelon and French Bread.

This is a story of contrasts - her childhood, and mine.

This blogger's upbringing was so opposite from mine.  Ms. Linton grew up on a farm in California.  I grew up in a public housing project in the Bronx, in New York City.

Her childhood included a family garden.  I never saw a garden until I was 17 years old, if you don't count the marigolds and lettuce I tried to grow on my city windowsill.
 
She talks about tomato borscht.  My childhood foods included borscht made from beets.

She ate lots of fresh veggies and salads.  In my household, fresh salad veggies rarely darkened our apartment threshold.

Yet, we share some memories - like lamb chops and cabbage rolls.  And we share a love of good food and the garden.

Although, I must admit, my first taste of fresh food wasn't poetic.  I ate too much, and made myself sick.  But I've never looked back.  I hope I am able to grow something (at least more than windowsill lettuce) for the rest of my life.

What memories do food, or farmer's markets, bring back for you?

5 comments:

  1. I remember my mom's garden and then her standing in the kitchen for hours canning. She didn't mind or complain; she loved it. I miss having a garden...condo life makes it difficult. Great post!!

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  2. I was pretty shocked to find out that vegetables came some way other than frozen.

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  3. Beautiful memories with my grandmother. We would go on the weekend and get fresh fruits then go home and make fruit salad :}

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  4. My parents tried to grow vegetables in our backyard. It didn't go so well.

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  5. We always had a garden when I was growing up in a rural community. Now as an adult, my oldest daughter (now age 30) has worked on many farms and run farmers' markets for clients. One of our local grocery stores features local farm produce all summer, and there are numerous farm stands available.

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