In Which a Heart was in my Cabbage

The rain sprinkled on my back as I was digging up carrots, onions, and beets.  It was welcome.  Cool and wet after so much hot and dry.  Across the garden, my mom was picking cucumbers, zucchini, and yellow squash.  We were both quietly doing our work.  Happy to have the time for the dirt. 

The garden is producing.  And I am loving it.  On Thursday afternoon, I officially passed the grain cart driving reins to Sister Pister and came home.  Home to take care of some of that garden goodness. 

There is definitely some work involved in cleaning up the vegetables, but it's more than worth it.    

And I figure all of that dirt is a pleasing thing.  It means fresh and whole.  It also makes me a little suspicious about the stuff we buy.  It's way too clean.  Too chemically enhanced, shined, and perfect.  I'll take the dirt in my sink any day. 

Let's just have a moment for the teacher in me.  Carrots could be used as a wonderful life lesson about how we are all different on the outside but are the same on the inside.  Because love a duck...they are sure goofy looking. 

My personal favorite thing to do with all of those vegetables is to wash and chop and arrange so they are pretty.  Then I layer them with some real butter on aluminum foil, sprinkle with Nature's Seasoning, and wrap it all up to make a sealed bag.  Then pop on the grill for about twenty minutes or so and eat.  Eat them up. 

If you don't know about this seasoning, you need to.  Momma Debi has been using it forever and then I started using it and now my friends use it and pretty soon you can too.  I put it on almost everything, but it's a winner winner when paired with garden vegetables. 

This cabbage is also from the garden.  I swear it was better looking than store bought.  It just was.  Apparently I'm all about telling you what to do on this fine Saturday morning because here's what you must do with cabbage.  Brush olive oil on a baking pan.  Cut your cabbage into about inch and a half slices.  Lay them down on the pan.  Brush the top of each slice with olive oil.  Sprinkle with sea salt and black pepper.  Roast them in the oven at 400 for about forty-five minutes.  They get brown and very yummy.  Watch them though because they can burn quickly.  If they start to become too brown on the edges before the middles have roasted, turn the oven down to finish.  I usually put sauteed mushrooms and baby tomatoes on the top of each slice right before serving.  People will think you are fancy.  But it's easy.  My way of rolling. 

And please.  Please notice there is a heart in the middle of this cabbage.  It's the little things.  It really is. 

And please.  Please know that there is nothing as fresh tasting as beets from the garden.  Nothing.  Please also know they can stain your wood floor in two seconds flat when you drop a hot one.  Which is why I quickly yelled "Oh my gosh!  Clean it up!  Clean it up fast!!"  The difference between one second and two seconds.  It matters. 

See?  Totally fancy looking huh?  Never mind the presentation is a bit off.  I was hungry.  No time to re-plate before bringing it out the patio.