As I sit down at my desk to type out a few words that I hope will somehow affect whoever might read them the rain is coming down. The rain is indeed a welcome sight! This is the fourth day in a row that we’ve gotten rain. I’m overjoyed and immensely thankful for the moisture that we have received.
I am thankful for the rain that all the farmers have received because planting season had all but come to a stop due to the dry conditions. I’m also quite thankful that all the folks with a garden received rain as well. Having a garden in the Deep South is a time-honored tradition.
In so many ways our lives are centered around a garden because of the bounty that they produce that we all seem to enjoy so much. A garden requires much work, but the folks that put in the effort are filled with pride when their gardens start bearing fruit. There is a great satisfaction that comes with growing vegetables and being able to share them with friends and neighbors.
Our lives are deeply connected to the land and the bounty it provides us all. I have been eating home grown vegetables all of my life and thankfully I continue to do so. I learned early on in life about the work necessary to be able to enjoy such wonderful delicacies.
Admittedly, as a very young boy I was not thrilled about having to go pick peas or anything else for that matter at daylight in the summertime. However, it was not optional, and I soon learned the importance of it all. As the years have rolled on by, I have become increasingly thankful for my early indoctrination in the ways of my elders.
In the late spring and early summer, I would be rousted out of bed well before daylight in order to go pick whatever was ready for harvest. I worked at our local grocery, but it was closed on Mondays, and I was expected to be involved with gathering vegetables. It was my day off, but I would be with my mama or one of grandmothers in a pea patch somewhere.
I had a great-uncle, G.W. Johnson, Sr., who grew a massive garden every year. He would always invite us to come and get whatever was ready at the time. He was by definition my great uncle because he was my daddy’s uncle, but he was great by my definition because he was such a wonderful human being. I have such fond memories of him as he was always accommodating and so full of love for his family.
We would be at his place, near Canoochee, at the crack of dawn. After we had loaded granny’s car down with peas, corn, tomatoes and whatever else was ready we went back to her house in Herndon to get everything put up. I spent countless hours shelling peas and shucking corn. Looking back on it, I wouldn’t trade those days for anything.
I would usually start fussing about having to do all that work, but I would be reminded of the enjoyment that would come from eating those fresh vegetables. I loved eating them then and the love for garden fresh vegetables has never waned. I also learned to watch the ladies in my family cook those vegetables as well.
Usually, one of the first things ready in the garden is yellow squash. I love squash! Sliced, coated with some good cornmeal, and fried to perfection. I can eat them faster than they can be cooked. I have a great affinity for squash casserole hot out of the oven as well. Stewed squash are high up on my list of favorites also.
Slice those squash up along with some fresh onions and put in a cast iron pan along with some real butter and salt and pepper to taste. Turn the fire down to a medium-low heat and let time do what it does. Those squash will cook down and caramelize. When they have reached perfection, you can fill up a bowl full and enjoy!
Our lives still revolve around a way of life that revolves around the land and the bounty it provides us all. I think our way of life here in the Deep South is unrivaled. We eat good, we truly care about each other, and our families are of the utmost importance. I’m thankful for all that I was exposed to at such an early age.
I am extremely thankful for the ones that exposed me to so much. To a very large degree, not much has changed since those days. As I have sat here and typed out these words my mind has been flooded with memories and my heart filled with love. I think about my Bigma, Granny, Mama and Uncle G.W. and how they taught me the importance of fresh garden vegetables.
