Fresh

Fresh flowers, freshly showered, rain fresh air, fresh vegetables and fruits, and freshly prepared foods-all enjoyable to me. In our world of immediate gratification, we often forget that good things comes to those who wait. We grab fast food, live fast lives, and seek fast solutions. We miss the enjoyment of picking a plump tomato off of the vine, washing it off and biting into it; its sweet juicy goodness sliding down our throats, leaving traces on our chins. Or grabbing a firm green one, slicing it and seasoning it and in minutes watching it sizzle in its puddle of hot olive oil, dusted with a little flour or cornmeal. Fried green tomatoes are so much more than a popular movie. I had a close cousin, Eric who loved the way that I prepared them. All I had to say was that I was about to fry tomatoes and he would rush over to my house. Even after many years I still get requests from friends far away as South Korea wanting to know if when they come back to Georgia, would I fry them some green tomatoes.

Early in life I learned about enjoying the fruits of the earth and my labor when helping my family in our gardens. Nothing was sweeter or tastier than going in the backyard and retrieving the selection of the day: squash, cabbage, cucumbers, fresh spring onions, garlic, broccoli, and sometimes even sweet corn. Fresh picked was the very best. We had apple and pear trees in our yards, grape vines, mulberry bushes, and wild strawberries that we raced against the squirrels and birds to enjoy. Nowadays, you just don't see many of the fruit trees, grape vines, and vegetable gardens like there used to be. No one takes the time. Instead, they rush to the store or market; instant gratification, but not nearly as satisfying as home grown. There are many days that I gathered fresh vegetables and herbs to prepare like crisp and curly kale, bold garlic, radiant red and golden peppers, and fragrant rosemary. After the harvest, ripe purple eggplant, tender asparagus, baby portabellas, sweet vidalia onions, and crunchy carrots were washed and spritzed with olive oil and laid upon the grill to roast. Delightful. I suppose I just love being fresh.