Enjoying The Abundance in My Mom's Garden

I don't have a garden so I feel a bit sad that I can't really be a part of this community but I had such a great time with my mom recently so I thought I would write a post that covers a bit about her garden. (Even though it feels like cheating). But I'm starting to feel more and more that I wish I had a garden. After a week at her place (also the place where I grew up) it kind of felt uninspiring to have arrived in Stockholm again. Not that I would like to move in with my mom, haha, but well, it's really time for me to make some big changes in my life. But that's not what this post will be about.

My mom has a rather big garden and when I was growing up my parents also grew quite a lot of vegetables. As a child, I liked to be part of this and I definitely knew more about gardening as a child than I do now. Since I was showing so much interest, my dad even built me a greenhouse. I have many fond memories of that.

Over the last couple of years, my mom has started to grow some vegetables again. She wanted to start small so she wouldn't feel overwhelmed. It's mostly potatoes but she has been successful, she is expanding a bit every year. Now she has also planted some outside of the fenced area, let's see how they do. (It's mostly deer that you have to protect your plants from here).

I know @riverflows can get tired of boiled potatoes but it's really my mom's favorite carbohydrate-rich food I would say. I can appreciate it now when I visit my mom because I don't cook it so much myself. And I must say it was such a nice feeling to go out and just dig them up. It's amazing in a way. To grow your own food. I totally get why you would like to do that. And they taste so much better than the ones you buy in the store.

She has some different kinds of potato plants and the ones she is currently harvesting don't have their stalks left. So there's no way of knowing there are potatoes in the ground. As you can see she also grows onions.

And of course some zucchini, it's hard to go wrong with that. (Nevermind the rotten boards on the underground storehouse in the background).

This year she also planted turnips (I know there are different kinds). Don't ask me too much about them, I don't really know how to best cook them. At least I think that's what's in the picture above 🙂

I must say though that I was mostly interested in the raspberries. This year they are growing in abundance. There's no way my mom will be able to take care of all of them. In one hour I had picked over 3 liters. My mom already has a lot in the freezer and I brought some back to Stockholm (along with blueberries but they grow in the forest so not part of this garden post).

I love raspberries. High up on the list of my favorite berries. Picking raspberries also brings up childhood memories. Same raspberry bushes. They have been there for a long, long time. Was there when my parents bought the house. Yes, not so much maintained but there's no need really. They still produce so many raspberries. To access the raspberries in the middle you simply have to make a path in there. (Best to be covered). But it's easy really. You just have to watch out a bit for nettles that are as big as the raspberry bushes.

And last but not least I also want to share a picture of blackcurrants. Same for these bushes, they have been in the garden for many years. And they are a gift that just keeps on giving. And this year a lot. My mom doesn't know what to do with this abundance. She only has so much space in her freezer! (Yes, I'm aware you can make juice and jelly but I want to avoid sugar). They are just about to be ready to harvest. I just couldn't get enough of them, my body was really craving blackcurrants.

She also has a lot of redcurrants but they don't taste as good.

I think this was it. I'm so happy that I visited this time of the year, it was many years ago I picked raspberries. And now I have a lot of them in my freezer. Along with blueberries and blackcurrants. I guess they will mostly go into smoothies 🙂

Thanks for reading 🌸

Love and blessings to you all 💚