Ode to Zucchini

Ode to Zucchini

How do I love thee?

Let me count the ways.

I love thee as the abundant fruit of the garden,

Surpassing all cucumbers and peppers in number and volume

Rewarding even the most neglectful gardener

With almost overwhelming yield.

I love the memory of thee

From the days of my youth

Thwarter of hunger when the cupboards were bare

Although my mate at the time lamented and complained

I loved you then as I love you now.

I love thee grilled

Lightly oiled and seasoned

Marked with the dark lines of your sacrifice

All for me.

I love thee in bread, straight from the oven

Whole wheat mixed with fragrant spices

Beckoning, calling me to taste of the moist goodness that hides within

And even the children are unaware that you nourish as they partake

Of your bounty.

I love thee as ratatouille

Cavorting with onions and tomatoes

Enhanced with a grating of cheese

Steaming, enticing, promising to warm me on even the coldest nights.

But most of all, I love thee as lasagna

layered with ricotta and bathed in tomato sauce

ground beef and garlic

covered with a blanket of mozzarella

for breakfast.

Home Grown Pears

We have organic fruit!  Our huge house may sit on a mere 0.18 acre, but we managed to squeeze two pear trees, an apple tree, and a few raspberry and blueberry bushes in there also.  

My 83 year old mother covets fruit.  Whenever she sees fruit growing on somebody else’s tree, she wants it.  She lives with us and is very happy that our trees are finally producing after years of dormancy.  But, somehow the fruit on somebody else’s tree always looks better.  And, she really doesn’t like or understand my organic fanaticism.

We have ugly, blemished fruit.  Mom doesn’t like that.  The “regular” fruits and vegetables at the grocery store always look so much bigger, brighter and perfect than their more expensive organic counterparts that I place in our cart.  She wants bigger, brighter and perfect.  It LOOKS so good!  But, you know what?  When I bite into that seemingly yummy perfection, my taste buds are so not impressed.  They say, “Really?  How can something that looks that good, taste so bland?”

I just ate my first home grown pear.  Mmmmmm…it was sweet and juicy and…ugly.  I had to cut out a few brown spots and peeling it was a little difficult because it was a bit misshapen…but let me tell you, the flavor was SPECTACULAR!

I feed my family organic food because I want to give them good, wholesome things that aren’t irradiated and laden with pesticides and poisons.  Our environment exposes us to enough pollutants and contaminants externally; I don’t like to have my family add to that exposure by ingesting them also.

My whole point is this.  We tend to like what looks good to our eyes, but is that always what’s best for us?  Good looking people, good looking cars, good looking fruit, good looking positions – are all these things as good to the core as they seem?  

The LORD does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart. (1 Samuel 16:7)