Thursday, September 8, 2011

Farm Food and Lightening Bugs

Do I really need to say anything about this picture?  I guess if you live up north and are privy to tomatoes like this, then I guess you're not too surprised.  But in most of Florida, tomatoes that are so red, so ripe, so juicy, so sweet, so NOT mealy, so absolutely wonderful are a very rare thing.  We can barely grow them and the tomatoes at the stores and food markets are just substandard, not sure why.  The only half way decent ones are the ones Husband grew this past year. 

Love those fresh Kentucky home-grown tomatoes!

Paired with some Ale 8, Aunt Patricia's zucchini bread and canned peppers....can we say "yum"?

Of course, we devoured the homemade apple pies (crust and all) so quick that I didn't get a picture.  Over the course of four days, we consumed three pies.  Never did get to the gooseberry cobbler.  They'll be waiting for me at Thanksgiving.

AND the reason I will never eat canned tomato soup again?  Homemade from home-grown veggies, this tomato soup is the most amazing soup ever. 
Husband and I are going to attempt (hopefully this weekend) to make this soup.  I just need to locate a 1/2 bushel of decent tomatoes.  This could be a challenge.
Paired with a grilled cheese sandwich (LOADED with real butter), nothing says comfort food more than this!

We also had fresh picked corn.  Grandaddy and Lallie went and picked it for us.

Then they shucked the corn for us.

Then the shucks were fed to Misty, Lizzy and Clem.

All this food reminds me of my childhood on my Grandma's farm.  We always had fresh veggies and fresh eggs from the chicken coop. It was always so mcuh fun for us kids to go get the eggs for breakfast though the chickens didn't like us terrorizing them that much.  We also had fresh beans and corn and we loved eating the seeds from the sunflowers Grandma always had growing in her garden.  There are some mornings I wake up here and the lighting and smells remind me of those days. 

It also takes me back to those same days when the adults of the family would work in the fields during the September and October corn harvest while Grandma cooked.  My cousins and I would play "catch the (wild) cats" for hours, rarely ever catching one and playing down by the old railroad tracks (that had been removed), looking for old train relics.  We thought finding a track stake was the neatest thing on earth.  Every once in a while, we also ran across and Indian arrowhead.  But, if we ever ventured into the corn, Grandma would punish us by making us wash her walls.  Those were the days!

Back to the present....

After we'd risen back from our comatose food state, we ventured outside for Lallie's first lightening bug hunt.  Our adult eyes must be getting old.  I don't remember having that much trouble catching them when I was a kid on my Grandma's farm (and neither did Daddy or Granny).  We would stand right in front of them, see them light up and then instantly lose them.  We couldn't see them anywhere!  Lallie of course yelled, "there's one" every single time one lit up!  She was so excited.  This picture is dark, but it was actually still somewhat light out.

Daddy's eyes were sharper than the rest of us.

Getting ready to take her new bugs to bed for the night.

That's a wrap up of our weekend in Kentucky!

Happy Thursday Y'all! 


10 comments:

  1. How fun for you all. Especially Lallie. Great childhood memories (I used to love catching lightening bugs.).

    Those tomatoes look delicious. I failed miserably in that area this year. I don't know why I have such a hard time growing tomatoes.

    That corn is amazing too.

    Happy Thursday!

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  2. I bet Lallie will remember that day always! So sweet! Those tomatoes look so good - that's one thing I will surely miss in the Fall!

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  3. looks like so much fun! everything looks delicious, homemade, and fresh! reminds me of my grandma's home in Portugal.

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  4. The food looks wonderful and the catching lightening bug pictures is way too cute!

    xo

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  5. I miss fresh veggies right out of the garden. It's not easy to grow gardens down here. And I'm always disappointed by the selection of produce too.

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  6. I SO wish I liked tomatoes but I just don't at all. Corn, however....love!! Your fresh veggies look absolutely delicious. And this totally took me back to the days of catching lightening bugs and rolly pollys. So fun!

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  7. I want some of that corn. Tell husband to bring me some to my wedding :-)

    Rock On!
    GW

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  8. Tomato soup is my FAVORITE! I used to love catching lightening bugs, Lallie looks precious!

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