The pleasures of the firsts

The firsts of the season.
The vegetables I look forward to as I am walking through the grocery store mid-February.
The flavors that make my mouth water in anticipation.
The options for meals.
The variety of textures and tastes and scents.
These have arrived.

Two weeks ago we harvested the first beets. This may be the one vegetable I await the most...although I probably say that about a lot of vegetables! My mom loves beets. No but really. She loves beets. As a child, I was quite the opposite. I did not like beets. But I wanted to be like my mom, so every time she ate them, I would give it a try. After years of beet tasting and being disappointed, my taste buds experienced a revolution. I finally understood what my mom always said, "they melt in your mouth" "its like eating candy" "I could eat a whole jar of pickled beets." Ever since that moment, its true, I can eat a whole jar (by the way, my mom makes THE BEST pickled beets) and I can dig them up, wipe them off, and eat them raw and I can roast a whole pan full for dinner. The sweet earthiness is such an exquisite experience. It is here for the season!

Have you ever dug a new potato, rinsed it, boiled it, and ate it? If not, you must. New potatoes are a completely different experience than a basic russet or yukon gold. The skin is paper thin, the texture is smooth and meltable. Its like you smash them with a tablespoon of butter, but you don't, its just the potatoes. Two days ago we were in the tomato field all morning, pruning and tying. As always, 11am rolled around our stomachs made hunger noises and soon our conversation turned to food. We were making guesses of what lunch would be. The last thought in my mind was that we would already have potatoes. Well I was pleasantly surprised! Potato season is here.

The potato field. Red potatoes have purple flowers and white potatoes have white flowers. This picture sure does not capture the intense beauty of this field.

And for dessert...nothing says july like intense red mingling with deep blue. So its not a vegetable. But strawberry and blueberry season is here, unfortunately, its almost gone too.

Summer is a great season in the midwest for a plethora of reasons. The flavors of fresh local food is just one of those. We have been enjoying every step of growing that food. But nothing quite compares to the pleasures of eating it! Wendell Berry explains it well, 

The pleasure of eating should be an extensive pleasure, not that of the mere gourmet. People who know the garden in which their vegetables have grown and know that the garden is healthy will remember the beauty of the growing plants, perhaps in the dewy first light of morning when gardens are at their best. Such memory involves itself with the food and is one of the pleasures of eating. The knowledge of the good health of the garden relieves and frees and comforts the eater...I think it means that you eat with understanding and with gratitude. A significant part of the pleasure of eating is one's accurate consciousness of the lives and the world from which food comes.

We hope you are pleasuring in the flavors of this season.