So I am just doing this now?

The Lord has told us to plant a garden, to sow the earth, to eat foods in their proper seasons. Fine. I can obey that commandment. But I am not thrilled about it, nor do I love it.

As any good Mormon should, I planted tomatoes, zuchinni, yellow squash, and I threw some peppers in to highlight my own personal flair.

Last year, we got some tomatoes and zucchini, the weeds got some, and when we gave up, the remaining crop died on the vine. This year blight or something (not weeds) is trying to consume the plants filled with fruit before it can ripen. Gardening...rrrrr!

After being chastized by Jenny, and fearing I may lose what I have, I decided to at least pick what is growing. I have kept my Cuisinart on the kitchen cabinet to aid in that efffort and it has been working well. I had had tons of zuchinni though and not sure what to do with it. Finally, the lightening bolt hit--it, puree it! I have been using the Deceptively Delicious cookbook (spare me your commentary on it--I have read the criticsm, and I don't care--it's working for me!) and making purees. Why I didn't think about doing that with my 12 lb zuchinnis earlier is beyond me. Jack says it's because I am just getting smarter.
He also says I need to "claim my heritage" and just can vegetables, already! My Mormon roots coupled with my Southern upbringing, on paper, should mean I am a case of Mason jars away from a years supply of food, but I am just not ready to embrace either cultures in that way yet.

For book group this month, we are reading Kingsolver's Animal, Vegetable, Miracle and I can't help but hear her echoing sentiments all too familiar. Why is it that coming from her it's this grand political statement I can align myself with, but I can't swallow coming from my mother or my Relief Society President? (Although, I can't 100% align myself with Kingsolver, because that goes back to me hating gardening, so...in the end it goes back to obedience anyway.)

But at least for the book group "Local Food Only Dinner" potluck, I can actually make salsa from my garden. Baby steps, right? Anyone have tortilla chips made from VA corn I can buy off you?