Recently, I’ve been blessed to have a few people come into my life and inspire me. The first was Mr. LaMont and his dedication and passion for Southern cuisine. The second was a dear friend and fellow blogger, Mrs. Sippi. Through the pain of loss, she began sharing her family’s history, stories, and cooking adventures through a blog, www.mrssippee.blogspot.com. These two people have reminded me of my past, made me consider my present, and have encouraged me to make a better future.
If you look back, farming has been an integral part of the South. While industry made way further North, farmers were growing products such as cotton, tobacco, corn, beans, tomatoes, and other necessities. While industry felt the pains of labor, our ancestors felt the pains of drought, overwatering, diseases, and pests. Some crops made it and others didn’t. They grew enough to make a profit and to feed the family, but many were lucky just to break even. As time, industry and farming progressed, pesticides, antibiotics, and hybrids of various vegetables, fruits, etc made it easier to have a profitable crop. Today, these tools still exist. Tractors and plows have certainly improved and John Deere has become a household brand! I remember the Biltmore Estate held the big reveal of the new 2010 tractors to CEOs of John Deere. It was top secret and security was very strict, but I somehow managed to sneak a picture from a distance for my grandfather. He loved John Deere tractors (even had a small collection of all things yellow and green), but then he worked on the farm as a child and later became a foreman during early adulthood. Today, trends of growing organic (or without pesticides and antibiotics) vegetables and fruits are on the rise and we are reverting back to our roots, back to the simple life. Techniques, such as “double digging” and using home remedies for pest control, are popular, especially in our own homegrown, vegetable gardens. If you are living in an apartment or lacking in land, you can even grow your own vegetables by container gardening and miniature varieties of fruit trees are available too. Personally, I do both, so I have more product to cook with on a daily basis!
Currently, I am preparing to can and preserve what we’ve harvested from our vegetable garden! We have green beans, squash, cucumber, arugala, three varieties of peppers, three varieties of tomatoes, three varieties of eggplant, and corn! All are producing this year and the fresh taste of homegrown vegetables cannot be beat! We also grow a variety of herbs. I will be using Rosemary and Mint to make jellies for Thanksgiving and Christmas! I also enjoy using basil, oregano, and thyme when making herb butter. Over the next few weeks or so, I will be sharing family recipes that you can use right now! In the heat of the summer, heavy foods are not consumed, unless it’s Sunday or another family event (like July 4th). We turn to fresh fruits,vegetables, and herbs for light, refreshing meals and cold glasses of sweet tea!
For more about gardening techniques, check out the following websites!!! May your gardens grow and flourish!
Organic Gardening Magazine
http://www.organicgardening.com/learn-and-grow/double-digging-why-do-it#.T-Mt6FJavLc.facebook
The Country Farm Home
http://thecountryfarmhome.blogspot.com/
