Tuesday, August 25, 2009

Garden Bounty - Maria Hodkins


I've been eagerly watching the sweet corn I planted the first of June, waiting to pick the first ear and sink my teeth into its sweetness. I created a new raised-bed garden this Spring after tilling up the square of dirt that was the "floor" of my old, dilapidated chicken coop (that we tore down). This is the experimental crop, to test out the state of the soil, and see what will grow. Well, the one ear of corn on the end of the row that I've been intently watching, seemed to grow and swell a couple of inches from yesterday, and I could wait no longer. I gently pulled down the silk, and although the kernels looked small, they looked as though they could be mature enough to eat. So I plucked it! And then, of course, I had to find another similar one so that both my husband and I could have a taste. Meanwhile, I had filled a bowl with the 3rd picking of succulent green beans, and heaped a couple of ripe tomatoes on top. What a garden bounty to bring in for dinner! When I showed my husband, he said, "Well! you'd better paint them before you cook them!"--so I did. The corn, as it turns out, is still a bit too young, and shows as a pale yellow-white, but I wanted to keep the feeling in the sketch accurate to the moment, so I left it as is. It's still beautiful to me! (And delicious, too).

Western Colorado

5 comments:

  1. YUMMY!! WHAT A WONDERFULLY DONE PAINTING AND WRITING! LOOKS FABULOUS!

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  2. Yummy is right! The toms look like they could be picked from the painting and eaten! I love corn. We don't get very much in SC. It comes from Florida and just isn't the same as colder climate corn. We've been enjoying corn feasts at least 3 times a week here in NY :) May your harvest be plentiful!

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  3. Lovely, Maria, and thank Evan for us, we're glad you painted it!

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  4. There is something about just-picked vegetables! I love the way you caught the reds, yellows, and greens of the tomatoes; I can see them ripening before my eyes. My neighbor from years ago told me once that chicken manure was the best thing for tomatoes.

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