Plastic Free Produce with Friends

Today was a day filled with pleasantries. Our family spent the afternoon harvesting blackberries and green beans at a friend's bountiful garden followed by a brief effort to forage chantrelle mushrooms at the home of another friend.

My efforts to garden are wildly surpassed by individuals who possess such skill with cultivating the earth. I try...with what little time I buy out, to teach my children where our food comes from. I have met with some success with my hobby gardening. Our six year old has titled himself a "fruititarian" since he was three years old, preferring raw fruits and vegetables to meat or processed dishes. Most of the vegetables that he loves are ones that he has watched grow in small quantities in our garden: kale, spinach, cherry tomatoes, sugar snap peas, green beans, bell peppers, cucumbers, and more. Our four year old daughter is becoming more brave with time, although not as broad in her food preferences. She responded to her brother's adopted title by calling herself a "meatitarian."

My aspirations to homestead are a dream...a daydream for which I continue at times to dwell on but quickly come back to reality. Reality is that I am a self-employed professional who home schools two children (with the help of my husband) and is a breastfeeding mother of a 7 week old infant. My time is better spent with those whom I love - family and friends. Pursuing relationships and keeping life simple now proves to be the most rewarding. It is better to share what we have and build relationships than to cultivate all crops on our own and have cultivated no friendships. Look at the generous bounty that was shared with us today!

A blessing indeed.

Summer's Bounty - Generously Shared With Us

Chantrelle Mushrooms

Why Buy Berries in a Clamshell? Make a Memory Instead

This time of year our country roads are lined with a spectacular sight: blackberries and beautiful sunsets!

In the evenings before sunset when the temperature cools off, our family has made it a tradition during the end of June and beginning of July to enjoy the simple pleasure of wild berry picking. Our two older children are 4 and 6 and look forward to the experience. It can be the middle of winter and they'll ask, "Can we go pick berries today?" Last night my 6 year old son stopped to savor the sunset on the hillside without any prompting. It melted my heart to hear his expression of simple gratitude.

I still have very fond memories of picking wild blackberries with my father close to 30 years ago while enjoying the sounds of the birds chirping in the distance. Sweat on my brow, I sported a long-sleeve flannel shirt and leather gloves that were too big for my little hands.

We all love berries of any kind, as you'll see in my consumed plastic post next week. We had already purchased some in June that will show up. *Smile. We're not perfect...when your family has four different food allergens to deal with finding plastic free snacks & produce can be difficult, especially when the mother is sleep deprived with a newborn. Excuses aside, look at the plastic free bounty that we will be enjoying in the days to come.

Who needs a clamshell? Make a memory instead.

Wild Blackberries