Ain’t Nothing Like the Real Thing
My grandmama was named Lillian and every time I see lilies, I am wrapped up in her warm embrace. With the exception of my mom, no one has taught me more about the pleasure of food and sharing it with others.
One of my most vivid memories is making peach pies together, touching and pressing pastry dough between my tiny fingers, as I learned what to do to make the flakiest and most delicious pie. But making food with love was just the first step. The heart of it was the sharing. Doesn’t food taste even better while eating with others?
Being from Atlanta, there was never a shortage of peaches. Whether famously marking our city’s streets or filling Varsity pies, peaches are everywhere. Thank goodness.
Today I headed to the Urban Growers Collective South Chicago farm where I saw old friends and met new ones. Along the way, sweet Malcolm, the farm manager, took me on a tour and shared what had grown since my last visit in early June.
What abundance!
