I credit my Nonna for my love of culinary vegetables and herbs, especially basil and 'fuzzy zucchini' as I called it. I remember her tiny downtown backyard being transformed into a vegetable garden with trellises, swiss chard, tomatoes and even a pear tree.
After a while my family stopped doing the garden for her over the last few years and I promised myself I would do it someday for her. The closest I got was making her a window box with her favorite herbs, flat leaf parsley and genovese basil for her birthday in the spring. It seemed like a good compromise, she could go out on her porch and pick what she needed rather than going down the stairs to the backyard.
This Christmas, I gave her tiny little terra cotta pots with basil and parsley so she could start them in the winter, rather than waiting for me to do it in the spring. I think she appreciated the gesture and knew she would grow them herself.
This spring, I planned to do her window box again or even do some tomatoes and italian zucchini in her garden. Sadly, she is not well and may not be with us for much longer.
My nonna is a special lady and I feel so sad that I may not get to tell her how much I love her just one more time. I am thinking about her all the time and now as the summer is inching closer I plan to plant basil for my nonna.
Its funny how vegetables and food for that matter can become a common thread between generations. My nonna and I are very close regardless of the fact that we like to grow vegetables but I am realizing more and more how my profession is something that most can relate to. I cherish the time with my nonna and am grateful for the time she spent with me that inspired to enter this field.
I love you my little nonna....
After a while my family stopped doing the garden for her over the last few years and I promised myself I would do it someday for her. The closest I got was making her a window box with her favorite herbs, flat leaf parsley and genovese basil for her birthday in the spring. It seemed like a good compromise, she could go out on her porch and pick what she needed rather than going down the stairs to the backyard.
This Christmas, I gave her tiny little terra cotta pots with basil and parsley so she could start them in the winter, rather than waiting for me to do it in the spring. I think she appreciated the gesture and knew she would grow them herself.
This spring, I planned to do her window box again or even do some tomatoes and italian zucchini in her garden. Sadly, she is not well and may not be with us for much longer.
My nonna is a special lady and I feel so sad that I may not get to tell her how much I love her just one more time. I am thinking about her all the time and now as the summer is inching closer I plan to plant basil for my nonna.
Its funny how vegetables and food for that matter can become a common thread between generations. My nonna and I are very close regardless of the fact that we like to grow vegetables but I am realizing more and more how my profession is something that most can relate to. I cherish the time with my nonna and am grateful for the time she spent with me that inspired to enter this field.
I love you my little nonna....
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