Evoking Memories with Aroma

We all have memories evoked by sights, sounds, tastes and smells. Yesterday I was able to recreate memories of childhoods for both Steve and I.

My first experience in making bread and butter pickles. Both our parents canned most of our food when were growing up. It was grown in large gardens, as children, we helped tend. As the years went by, available produce and already canned vegetables took place in our cabinets and on our tables from grocery stores. When Steve walked in the house yesterday, he said the smell reminded him of his Aunt's house when she made bread and butter pickles. I too loved the smell from childhood summers spent helping my mom prepare and cann the vegetables raised in our garden.

When Steve and I married, we both worked outside the home.
we planted small gardens, then no gardens as we became busier with our children and outside hobbies. Our children are grown, I no longer work outside the home, and we have a small farm which I have space to grow as big or small a garden as I desire.

Last year I planted a small garden, as we didn't know if the soil would be good for gardening, it had always had crops planted on it. That garden did real well with the addition of top soil added to keep it loose and not packed with rains. Our vegetables we grew produced very well, for no more than we experimented with. So this year, we moved the garden, making it even larger. I have had success and failure so far with this spot. But over all, the success will win out.

I made my bread and butter pickles using a recipe called "old fashioned bread and butter pickles" search done on internet. I know my mom used recipes for somethings, but most of them were in her head. If she wrote them down, I don't know what became of them when she passed. Also, I don't know what happened to Steve's moms recipes. Since they are gone, I have cooked by taste and smell to recreate meals they cooked for us in our childhood. My own children like most of the old fashioned cooking I do. And they tell me to write down my recipes because they can't read my mind.

My pickles will be ready to taste test in a few weeks. The longer they sit, the better the flavor will be. I know Labor Day we will for sure try them out.