Homemade

A couple of days ago, Don, a good friend of ours, came over to ride.  His wife Tina sent along a jar of dilly beans and a jar of strawberry/rhubarb jam.  To me, there is nothing better than a homemade gift!  And if its food, well that's about as close to perfect as it can get. 

I sometimes think its a little sad that the world has changed so much that people no longer learn to garden, can and make homemade goods.  Lots of kids don't know that beef was really a cow at some point and that milk wasn't made by Wal-Mart.  Time has become so metered that we don't use it to make our own things or grow our dinner. 

It certainly doesn't pencil to grow green beans, water them, weed them, fertilize them, buy a jar to can them in, and take a whole afternoon to process them when you can buy a can at Wal-Mart for fifty cents.  It doesn't pay dollars and cents wise anyway, but I'll continue to do it because I want my kids to know how its done, where the food comes from and how to grow their own meals.  They both love to see the little plants progress and the peas pods become plump.

For the last few years, I have brought home baskets full of my canned goods for family Christmas gifts.  I bring salsa, pickles, jams, jerky, dried herbs and other things.  I have sometimes wondered if my family is sick of getting the same gift every year at Christmas but I bring the baskets anyway because they say you should give the type of gift that you'd want to receive. 

 

I get lots of compliments on my garden and am always quick to explain that I am able to have one because I don't work outside of the home.  It takes a ton of time to maintain every summer and the canning also takes time.  I am thankful to have the opportunity to share this lifestyle with my family here at home and then I am able to also share it with my extended family and friends during the holidays.

So thank you Tina!  We love the gifts!  The dilly beans were the perfect end to a perfect day in the garden.  I sat and ate them with a cold beer while watching the guys ride and work cows.  What could have been better!