A couple years ago, Amy was telling my sister about our gardening experience for the summer. She recounted everything from choosing seeds at the garden center to pulling weeds and harvesting the vegetables. When describing our experimentation with pickling cucumbers she declared (with much pride): "We are pickle-makers!"
It goes without saying that the transition from seed-in-the-ground to treat-on-the-table is a magical journey that can create a sense of identity and purpose as we learn to value our stewardship as caretakers of this beautiful earth. Since moving to England, we have missed having a large yard and garden, but have enjoyed a new organic experience that we can now add to our resume: We are berry-pickers!
There is quite a variety of wild fruit that grows right here in our village - everything from blackberries, currants (red & black), plums, pears, apples and... a mystery berry that looks similar to a blueberry, but isn't. (Still trying to seek out some expert advice on that one!)
Our family has had a lot of fun together as we've joined in this group effort. We wouldn't be nearly as successful without Matt's height and Emily's ability to squeeze through small spaces. We've also needed Amy's excellent tree-climbing skills. And Mom is always on-hand with a pocket-sized first aid kit for the scrapes and scratches that come from nasty entanglements with thorns and stinging nettles.
Last Saturday we discovered a wild apple tree on the south end of our village and once again took advantage of some free fruit.
Of course, the best part of a harvest is eating and we had big plans for our apples!
Amy helped Mom wash, peel, and core all the apples for a pie.
Emily mixed and rolled out the pie crust and used her own little cookie cutters to create the topping (hearts and stars).
Dad bought the vanilla ice cream to go with it. Thanks Dad!
And we all enjoyed eating it together for our Family Home Evening treat.
It goes without saying that the transition from seed-in-the-ground to treat-on-the-table is a magical journey that can create a sense of identity and purpose as we learn to value our stewardship as caretakers of this beautiful earth. Since moving to England, we have missed having a large yard and garden, but have enjoyed a new organic experience that we can now add to our resume: We are berry-pickers!
There is quite a variety of wild fruit that grows right here in our village - everything from blackberries, currants (red & black), plums, pears, apples and... a mystery berry that looks similar to a blueberry, but isn't. (Still trying to seek out some expert advice on that one!)
Our family has had a lot of fun together as we've joined in this group effort. We wouldn't be nearly as successful without Matt's height and Emily's ability to squeeze through small spaces. We've also needed Amy's excellent tree-climbing skills. And Mom is always on-hand with a pocket-sized first aid kit for the scrapes and scratches that come from nasty entanglements with thorns and stinging nettles.
Last Saturday we discovered a wild apple tree on the south end of our village and once again took advantage of some free fruit.
Of course, the best part of a harvest is eating and we had big plans for our apples!
Amy helped Mom wash, peel, and core all the apples for a pie.
Emily mixed and rolled out the pie crust and used her own little cookie cutters to create the topping (hearts and stars).
Dad bought the vanilla ice cream to go with it. Thanks Dad!
And we all enjoyed eating it together for our Family Home Evening treat.
Amy looks so happy in that picture of the girls in the wagon. HAha! And that pie looked extraordinary! Yum!!
ReplyDeletewe just got a big box of apples from Alana's brother's garden and we're making homemade applesauce!
ReplyDeleteWe would love to have you helping with the harvest here! Chris and I are doing plenty of reminiscing.... ahh, the Utah years with Matt & Lana canning and freezing pears and apples. This year we have made 6 pies to date, and still not a single one has made it to the freezer. If you find a cheap flight, hop on over and you can still get in on tomato and meat preserving! We miss you guys!
ReplyDelete