When I was little I remember my uncle Nigel would buy me jars of gherkins for Christmas. I was a pickle/gherkin eating monster lol. If there were pickled onions, gherkins, bread & butter cucumbers as well as Grandads "crumbly" cheese (tasty), I would be in to them like a pig in shit lol.
The Pennell side (Mums) of our family are Pickle makers from way back. My Grandad Pat would always have little jars of preserves of all sorts. He would also cook up any offcuts, peelings or tidbits for his dogs so nothing ever went to waste. I personally never helped him with these tasks but I was privileged to enjoy many of his relishes and always got so excited to get to eat his "crumbly" cheese when we went to stay. I would sneak out into his massive garden of strawberries and get lost in his vege patch out the back while talking away to his Labradors.
So while sitting here today eating my pickled cucumbers on crumbly cheese and crackers, beautiful memories are popping into my head of my Grandad who is with us no more.
This is the beauty of growing your own food, turning it into something delicious and savoring the memories that you have while eating the food. You don't have to teach your kids or grandkids these skills, you just need to expose them to you growing it, storing it and then shqring it with them. One day when they decide to plant their first tomato or make their first jam they will instantly think of those beautiful memories of how you grew yours and how it tasted when you gave them the first taste.
Food is healing, not only nutritionally and physically but spiritually, mentally and emotionally. If you have a child, grandchild, niece or nephew then start a garden with them. It might not seem important to them now but if times get tough in the future it will bring back happy memories and also the knowledge of a skill they may not have realized they had.
I am so thankful I had so many beautiful gardening experiences with both sides of my family, which have helped me get to where I am today. Thank you so much to all my family xx
