I’ve been itching to get outside in the sunshine and start the vegetable garden, but it’s still a bit early. This year I’ve wanted to add a few herbs to the garden. So today I headed out to the garden center and picked up a few to start. I came home with cilantro, Greek oregano, English thyme, golden lemon thyme, peppermint, red onion, chives and scallions. Every new week the nursery brings out a few more herbs, so I’ll stop back next week to see what they have.

While driving home the aroma of the mix filled the car reminding me of many childhood memories when our backyard gardens were the center of our everyday life. Like snapped stalks of tart rhubarb dipped in sugar, cucumbers drizzled with vinegar, salt, and pepper. My dad was always out working the garden, and you’d find Ma in the kitchen cooking, and stuffing the old Ball glass canning jars that she would tightly cap off with a chunk of wax before placing them in the pressure-cooker. Canning pickled relish, tomatoes, and beans to blackberry jam, loading the pantry shelves for the winter months. The pickled aroma was the sweet smell of home.