“I give you thanks, O Lord, with my whole heart;before the gods I sing your praise;
I bow down toward your holy temple and give thanks to your name for your steadfast love and your faithfulness”
Psalm 138:1-2
In the Deep South, nothing is more commonplace than canning, freezing, and preparing vegetables for your family! A lot of love and hard labor goes into those Sunday dinners that we have each week! I was raised as the daughter of the best cook around, and I have learned a lot along the way. My mother always had the best meals prepared for us….whether it be a random weekday night or Sunday lunch! She was the queen of food, and I can only hope I follow in her footsteps! One of the best memories I have of my Mother is that she cooked everything fresh…farm to table! And I guess I am following in her footsteps because that is my very favorite way to enjoy a meal! Join me today for a little farm-to-table action!
A basket of our home-grown tomatoes!
I love to make pizzas with fresh veggies…tomatoes, green peppers, corn, onions, and Belle Chèvre cheese made in Elkmont, AL and Conecuh sausage also made in Alabama.
Heirloom chocolate cherry tomatoes, grape tomatoes, squash, and zucchini from our garden last summer!
Is there anything better than a fresh from the vine tomato sandwich on white bread with good mayo?
Garden Bounty
Fresh-picked strawberries!
Strawberry cobbler…so good!
A taste-test of sweet strawberries right in the patch!
Fresh spinach and strawberry salad with toasted pecans, goat cheese and rosemary and olive oil bruschetta toast…a springtime favorite!
Pickin’ strawberries at a local farm!
Pan-fried okra the way my Mama did it!
A Southern staple…fried green tomatoes…prepared perfectly at Bottega Cafe!
Fresh farm eggs scrambled with asparagus…perfect pairing of flavors at Chez Fonfon!
Delicious fresh blackberries from Pepper Place Farmers’ Market!
I can’t think of a better dessert than fresh peaches and wild blackberries with a made-from-scratch pound cake!
Straight from the oven, fresh peach streusel muffins…perfect with a cup of coffee!
Local blueberries and house peach preserves make for a fabulous foodie breakfast at Alabama Biscuit!
I love fig preserves and I make them every summer!
Fresh figs with goat cheese and a drizzle of local honey…perfect for breakfast!
Cold watermelon, does it get any better on a hot summer day?
Whole wheat waffles and fresh fruit!
What about you…do you eat farm to table…and do you raise any vegetables or berries? I would love to know! And as always, thanks for your visits!
Linking with:
Pieced Pastimes, Life on Lakeshore Drive, Coastal Charm, Dwellings-Heart of Your Home, Savvy Southern Style, French Country Cottage, Stone Gable, Confessions of a Plate Addict, Worthing Court, Between Naps on the Porch, Cedar Hill Farmhouse, A Stroll Thru Life, The Charm of Home, Katherines Corner, Share Your Cup, 21 Rosemary Lane, Love Of Home, Rattlebridge Farm, Rustic & Refined, Celebrate & Decorate, Chatham Hill on the Lake
Loved this post and didn’t want it to end. Figs, goat cheese, and Tupelo honey. It doesn’t get any better. I also like to can food. Tomatoes that I can in homemade soup makes it taste so much better. My favorite preserves is strawberry that I make the old fashioned way. For each cup of strawberries use one cup of sugar and cook until a drop of the preserves in cold water congeales. Delicious!
Alice, I can just taste your strawberry preserves and your vegetable soup! Happy Easter, dear friend!
Oh, now I think I might make scrambled eggs with asparagus for Easter morning! I love eating “close to home” when I can (and can afford it, if I’m buying!) Rick has a small garden with veggies and strawberries. I grow herbs and sometimes grape tomatoes in pots. By and large, salad gardens — carrots and such but he has peas and beans and brussels sprouts along with the tomatoes and carrots.
My grandparents were farmers and many of my childhood memories involve picking veggies and berries and fruit in the summer. I didn’t really help my grandma can that much but she put back a lot. We’d have three meals each summer that were basically one thing — strawberry shortcake one time; corn on the cob when the corn came in and tomatoes in September.
I loved this post, Pam. Loved it.
How inspiring, Pam! Your mama taught you right. 😉 All your dishes look delicious, and I almost (almost!) want to put in a garden. Even without my own garden, I can enjoy farm-fresh from the farmer’s market, right? I hope you and Butch enjoy your bounty from all your hard work this year!
Kim, it is wonderful to have farmers’ markets for fresh vegetables and fruits! Happy Easter, sweet friend!
I didn’t grow up eating farm to table but we love to do it now!
Deanna, fresh makes such a difference in taste! Blessings~
Pam, everything looks delicious! Looking at all this yummy food this morning is making me hungry. I was raised on garden goodies too. I can remember every Summer, my mom would can up a storm. My favorite was pickled beets. I have so enjoyed your post, and it makes me long for those glorious Summer days! Happy Thursday, sweet friend!!!
Thanks sweet Shannon and Happy Easter with your family!
Oh my mercy Pam! This all looks so good and yes I grew up from farm to table. Didn’t enjoy nearly as well back then as I do now. We love farm food. Matter of fact we just picked the last of our collards. YUMMY. Happy Easter. Hugs and blessings, Cindy
Thanks sweet Cindy and Happy Easter!
Lovely pictures…. and delicious looking foods! 🙂
Thanks so much, wishing you a wonderful week!
Love this post! Everything looks so yummy! The fresh fruits and veggies look just as yummy!
Thank you for this post!!
Thank you my sweet friend…Happy Easter!
One of the many things I love about our time in Maine is my little garden. Not all things grow there because there’s not enough light, but what I do manage makes my heart sing.
Linda, there is something really special about what we grow with our hands!
This is a wonderful post, Pam. Those tomatoes! And the strawberry field! I don’t grow my own produce but try to get the freshest ingredients I can from the farmers’ market and I cook almost everything from scratch. This was an inspiration.
Amalia
xo
Thanks so much, Amalia…farmers’ markets are a wonderful source for fresh produce. Have a beautiful week!
You have my mouth watering for summer tomatoes, corn and berries Pam! It won’t be long now! Happy Easter!
Jenna
Thanks so much, Jenna! Happy Easter!
Wow that pizza and oh so many delicious looking foods. My mouth is watering Pam!
Thanks Christine…wishing you a wonderful Tuesday!
Pam,
I am sitting here reading your post and my mouth is watering. Thank you for sharing with TADA this week.
Happy Creating (Farm to Table),
Karen Marie
Nothing like farm fresh and you make these wonderful dishes look so delicious!..and I am sure they are!!!….Love shopping at the Farmers’ Market…can’t get any better!
Thanks Shirley! We love to eat fresh!
Pam, I just had lunch outside in the garden, but all this farm fresh deliciousness makes me {almost!} want to eat again! I love farm to table, here in southern California we are so lucky to have farm stands and Farmer’s Markets all over. Nothing is better than fresh fruits and vegetables! Beautiful post!
Lidy, thanks so much for your visit and I know lunch in your garden is so perfect! We have a large farm near us that grows everything that can be grown here, and I love to go buy fresh and bring home to prepare for dinner.
What a collection of wholesome goodness! So glad you disclosed you were picking at a local farm because at first I thought you were really putting us backyard planters to shame! 🙂 . You included my favorite southern food by far….fried green tomatoes, though I need a little sauce with a kick to really love them. What a wonderful tradition to start farm to table. When I retire I will hopefully have a little more time to figure it all out.
Thanks Debbie, fried green tomatoes are just so good!
Loving this post Pam. You have the best tablescapes and food. A collection of food to make everyone happy. Farm to table is wonderful. A great way to celebrate food and enjoy.
Thanks so much, Linda…have a wonderful week!
The best of the best that’s for sure! I love it when I pick fresh from the garden and the meal seems to be just that much more delicious because of it. Soon I will be picking rhubarb. I’ve planted our early spring veggies and the other I will plant in a few weeks. I would love to learn more about your fig preserves? Do you have a recipe? Thanks for sharing with SYC.
hugs,
Jann
Jann, I do have a great recipe for dog preserves and would be happy to email it to you!
These beautiful pictures definitely make the case for having your own bounty of produce. I plant herbs every year but hopefully we can get a patch tilled so we can have fresh veggies. Even though there will be a bounty at the farmers market there’s nothing like walking out the backdoor and picking your own.
Sandra, picking your own veggies in your backyard and serving the, for dinner is a simple pleasure for sure!