Childhood memories

I was walking in the city listening music and thinking my thoughts, until I saw a linden tree. Sounds crazy, eh? But this tree reminded me of my childhood, when I was still living with my parents. 

Every spring we would go out and we would pick the flowers and made them dry at home. We would collect them a lot for winter period. It was amazing to have fresh tea made of the leaves and flower. 

"mmm this smell... " I was thinking. 

I was floating back to memories, where I was ten year old kid. I remember my parents every spring, summer and autumn made me work the land. 

I had to help them. This was our way to have food. 

We planted veggies mostly, like potatoes, carrots, cabbages and beetroots. For me and my sister's happiness, one year we planted as well strawberries. Which we used for eating and we made marmalade out of them. It was amazing. I remember like it was yesterday, when we did pancakes with homemade strawberry jam. 

I remember as well going to forest mushroom and berry picking. It was family event. We went all together, we even had competition who gets the bucket filled earlier. 

When I was a kid, I thought what annoying thing to do. Now... I miss it. 

Today, I am living in a city, I am in my thirties and now I see all the value in it, what we did as a family. I go to shop and read all the ingredients of a food we eat. Every veggie and fruit comes from some other country. Not much local food to buy. I prefer local, if I can I do shop for local. Even if it sometimes costs more. 

I miss the simplicity and the real taste of the food. 

When I go to visit my father, who now has as well the greenhouse for tomatoes and cucumbers, I eat them a lot! The taste! This real taste and smell. It is marvelous. 

My little sister's in-laws have a house with little garden and they grow strawberries and apples. When they are ready, it is amazing! Ok, you have to work hard to have all cleaned up, but the result is more than satisfactory. 

Nature nurtures. Nature gives us a food. Nature is here for us. But we search comfortable life, nice looking food, taste must be exaggerated full of sugar and salt. 

Of course all must be fast! 

I was the same couple of years ago. Recently I have started to value the taste of real food, slowness and taking care of the land. 

So now I am dreaming of a house with big garden in some Italian village...