summer sauce

Every August, I look forward to what I refer to as a taste of pure sunshine. The anticipation of that first taste as the aroma fills the house while the tomatoes are cooking. But there is so much more than that. There were the first chilly months of March and April, when I tucked those tomato seeds into a small peat pot of soil and cared for them in my warm home. I diligently watered those baby tomato sprouts until they were ready to be planted in my garden, that I had lovingly prepared for months.

The first few flowers start to bloom on the tomato plants in about June, and I know there are still many weeks until the tomatoes will be ready for picking. Every day when I water them, it's a constant reminder of all that I've put in, and all that I will surely enjoy.

When those tomatoes start to turn yellow, then orange, and finally red I grab the closest basket, bucket, apron (or dress), and gently twist the tomatoes off of the vine and gather all of the ripe ones. Most recently, 18 ripe ones. My first batch of summer sauce, of the year.

Preparing, planting, watering, picking, chopping, cooking. The brief time line of the journey... all the while dreaming of this very moment. The first bite, of summer.

While all of my other tomatoes hang out in the garden and ripen, I can only imagine how they'll end up.... salsa, sandwiches, bruchetta .... and my mouth waters with anticipation.

<- what was left over after dinner! Head over to my cooking blog to get the recipe.

New look

It's hard to believe that it will be August in a few days! Where did the summer go? It's almost time for Owen to go back to school, and the days to get shorter. Before we know it, we will be picking apples and pumpkins, and going for hayrides. Sometimes when life gets crazy, we have to tell ourselves to slow down and enjoy the ride.



I have just begun a new ride, that at the moment, I wish wouldn't be going so slow. I finally took the plunge and got braces! It is something I had wanted to do for more than five years, so it's hard to believe it's actually my current self. There is the whole surprise factor when I look into the mirror. If I'm just sitting still for a little while, I almost forget that the braces are even there. That is, until I open my mouth and feel the brackets inch painfully past my cheeks. It is without a doubt the most painful decision I have made, but what will most certainly be one of the most rewarding in the end, as well.



One thing that I have found very therapeutic through these rough couple of days has been my gardening. I can get lost in something so natural and organic, while I have all of these metal and ceramic contraptions in my head. It's comforting to me. Our garden has been rapidly producing what is sure to be an abundant supply of tomatoes, beans, cucumbers, carrots and peppers. There is even a huge toad (which, unfortunately I haven't been able to snap a picture of yet) that Owen refers to as Beans (ironically, because he hangs out by the beans AND beans is a lizard character in the movie Rango). I consider beans to be the guardian of our veggies because he is always there, eating potentially harmful bugs from within the wooden walls of the garden.



I am planning on starting a blog of just recipes, and post one recipe a month. I also intend to post at least one "family" update on this blog per week. Especially when I get back into my routine this fall when Owen goes back to school. My most recent blog exclusively follows my journey through braces, and you can find that here which I plan on updating at least once a week as well.



Now, I'm going to spend time with my family and enjoy the rest of the weekend before we get packed up and head to New York on another kind of a journey. The one that ends with the last of my siblings getting married. Cheers!