Why Fresh?

I believe in eating fresh, locally-grown seasonal produce. My philosophy is fresh is best; frozen (or home-canned) is next; and grocery store cans as a last resort. Why? Well, as promised, I am going to share Reason 1 of 3.

But first, let me preface by saying that if there were no other reasons in the world, this is reason enough for me choose fresh.

It's all about TASTE. Fresh just tastes better. It's as simple as that. Eating blueberries straight from the bush is like eating candy from God. Reminds me of the Proverb, Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good! He provides candy every season - blueberries, peaches, strawberries, grapes (nothing quite like Southern muscadines), watermelon (one of my favorites), raspberries, and SO MUCH MORE!

If you don't believe me when I say fresh tastes better, then I challenge you to a taste test. I have done this many times, but one that stands out in my mind is one I did with my oldest daughter when she was about 8 or 9 years old. We bought fresh peaches one hot summer day from the Farmers Market. While at the grocery store later that day, we bought a couple of peaches that had been picked before their prime and shipped across the country with the intentions of doing a taste test. Well, needless to say, the Farmers Market peaches won, hands down! They were softer, juicier and, well, let's just say she was giggling as she ate them! :)

It may be a little bit of extra effort to grow your own, or to spend an hour or two each week shopping at the Market, but in the end it is worth it. That is, if taste is important to you.

Tomorrow, I'll share Reason 2.

It's a Choice

My grandmothers didn't have a choice. If they wanted their family to eat, they had to have gardens, and livestock, too. They would process, preserve, can, and freeze their bounties. It was a means of survival. "Waste not; want not" was how they lived. And they passed it onto my parents' generation. Who in turn passed it onto me.

But with the advent of large scale, conventional farming in the 70s, and an abundant supply of pre-packaged processed foods in grocery stores on every corner today, the hard work of growing and preserving one's own food has almost become extinct. Notice I said almost.

Today we have a choice; and I am glad to see a resurgence of small family farms, urban gardening, home canning, and a renewed appreciation for this way of life. I choose to continue on with my grandmother's ways. Only tweaked a bit to make it work with my suburban lifestyle. There are basically 3 reasons why I made this choice. Tomorrow, I'll share Reason No. 1.

What about you? What do you choose?

Pesticide-Free

The hunt is on! My email box has been inundated with requests for pesticide-free produce. Well, I don't know how he does it, but my brother, the farmer, can crank out the pesticide-free!

Here's what's available now, along with spinach and red radishes, all produced with no pesticides.

Mustard Greens

Daikon Radishes

 

Butternut Squash

Where Does Your Food Grow?

The following is a true story.

Once there was little girl who was visiting her friend's house one hot summer afternoon. The friend's mother offered the little girl some watermelon. The little girl tasted the melon. "Mmmmm! This is the best watermelon ever!" she said, with a great big smile and watermelon juice dripping from her chin. "My dad grew it on his farm," the mother said. "Oh?" the little girl paused. "I thought watermelons came from the grocery store."

We must not lose sight of where our food grows! I am so thankful for the many times my dad would pick a watermelon from the vine, late in the day, just before the summer sun set. It was a treat after working and playing outside all day. These melons were bursting with flavor and freshness. We couldn't wait to taste! In minutes we were covered with watermelon juices, dripping from our faces and hands. Mama would hose us down before we went inside. Nothing much sweeter than that! Trust me...you can't buy that at the grocery store!

Another New Year

There's something exhilarating about throwing out the old calendar, especially if it was a bad year, and replacing it with a spanking brand new one. It's a blank canvas, an array of new opportunities, a chance to begin again. What will it be? Lose weight? Exercise more? Get organized? Quit a bad habit? Go back to school? Work more? Or, work smarter? Fix a broken relationship? Make more money? Have more fun? The list goes on and on.

As I think through the many things I want to accomplish in 2013 I realize that I can only achieve them if I persevere and finish what I start. Having said that I want to share that my main reason for starting this blog has evolved. LivingWise is so much more than eating healthy, and supporting local farmers. LivingWise is actually composed of 7 Principles that affect body, mind, and soul, and how the working together of these Principles can help us with our own personal resolutions. Resolutions for strong bodies; financial security; a closer walk with God; healthy relationships; satisfying careers; sanity; and so much more.

My goal for 2013 is to introduce my readers to these 7 Principles. Slowly. Methodically. Hope you enjoy! And, as always, I welcome your comments. Happy New Year!

The Best Applesauce Ever

Here it is - the best applesauce ever! And, oh so easy to prepare. Just made this today with fresh apples from the NC State Farmers Market. I used a variety, including gala, red delicious, granny smith, rome, and golden delicious. Love to mix it up. Here's my recipe. If you try it you may never buy applesauce at the grocery store again!

Peel, core and dice 6-8 apples. Add to saucepan and sprinkle with 1/4 cup sugar. Add 1/2 cup apple juice. I used Simply Apple brand. Then, add a heaping 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon. Cover and cook on medium heat 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally, to desired consistency. Sooooo good!

Gardening

It's been a while since I've posted to LivingWise, but there is a time to every season. A time to get up and make things happen; a time to sit back and reflect on what's happening; and a time to plan for what's going to happen. Today is a day of reflection on my 2012 gardening efforts. You know my daddy always said, "You can take the girl out of the country, but you can't take the country out of the girl." The older I get the more I can truly appreciate that. Country living is my roots, and what is a country girl without a garden! Come...stroll with me through my garden.

First stop - marigolds by the front of the house. A success! Planted from seeds in August; blooming now. Lovely!

Marigolds

Butterfly bushes. Bought these at Lowe's back in the spring. They have quadrupled in size, and much to my surprise really do attact butterflies. Don't know why I'm surprised; they are, after all, BUTTERFLY bushes.

Up close and personal...where the butterflies at?
 

Got my daisy plants at the State Farmers Market (love that place). They have already flowered but some of the plants scorched in the summer sun. This one is the only one that is still green with new growth underneath. I'm curious to see if the scorched plants took root and will come back next year.

Daisies ... he loves me, he loves me not.

My black eye susans? Another find at the State Farmers Market, but they didn't make it. I planted them too late, and they too scorched. :(

My potato garden - another success! Produced the sweetest new red potatoes. Apparently, when I dug up the plants in June, I left a few potatoes in the ground. I now have potato plants sprouting throughout; new potatoes in the fall...so exciting!

Potato Plants spring 2012
 

Dug these babies from one plant for supper!
 

New potatoes randomly coming back, fall 2012.
 

Zucchini and cucumbers - a total fail. Well, not totally. They did, after all, sprout into beautiful green plants and produce flowers. I was so excited because I knew that the fruit was a'comin. But the bees weren't busy, and the seed flowers didn't get pollinated. Barren! So I cursed the plants and uprooted them this week.

Something else that was a fail - I tried to root clippings from one of my camelia bushes. Not a go...no roots! But I do have 3 crepe myrtles sprouting from the roots of a mature tree. Guess I'll dig them up and plant them where I was going to plant the camelias.

Hard to see, but it's there - a crepe myrtle about 12" tall.

My gardenia bush...new for 2012. Almost didn't make it. Woke up one day to discover it hidden under a bicycle - yes, my daughter's bicycle had fallen on the bush! Damaged it a little, but not enough to cause harm. Moved the bike; popped off the broken branches; talked to it - you know that works - and now it has new growth.

Gardenia
 

Speaking of talking to plants - Here's Stacy's family. Yep, named after a good friend who gave me these plants some umpteen years ago, and they have done nothing but multiply and produce beautiful flowers year after year. Time to divide and multiply again. I'm gonna transplant some of them to my new bird sanctuary.

Stacy i.e. daylillies
 

Yep, my bird sanctuary. I love looking out my kitchen window and seeing all kinds of birds - red birds, blue birds, song birds, hummingbirds...well, you get the picture. I'm going to gift these little creatures with some bird houses, sunflower seeds, and daylillies - all in in plain view of my window! Can't wait!

Well, hope you enjoyed the brief tour. Make some time to add a litle garden to your life! Don't fear failure...next year, by the grace of God, the bees will get busy and I WILL have zucchini!